The Fourth of Seven: Team AMBR -Project Halted- & -Under Revision-
by ReavesTheReader
Summary: Taking place during the school year after Vytal Festival is postponed. A knight with a brother complex, a soldier tormented by guilt, a bear hunted by a curse and a fighter seeking revenge. Follow these OC's form a team, subsequently named AMBR, led by Jeane Flavie Arc, the twin of Jaune Arc, as they fight evil and hunt down monsters known as Grimm.[Updates stopped indefinitely].
1. Chapter 0: Prologue

A loud ringing sounded in the quiet room.

Small rays of sunlight lit the large bedroom through the heavily curtained windows. A wrapped up figure struggled on top of the bed, trying to escape the sheets that snared her.

Silencing the source of the noise, Jeane clicked her scroll and awoke from her slumber. The young girl then stood up and sleepily walked towards the bathroom, leaving her bedding in a jumbled mess. Clothes strewn on the floor made her trip more than once on her way.

Entering the bathroom, she nearly stumbled again, this time, on the carpet covering the porcelain-tiled floor. Facing the mirror above the sink, the blonde girl started to wash her face. After drying up, she fixed her hair into a messy pony tail and tied it with a black ribbon. Admiring her reflection in the mirror, she smiled while staring at her ribbon in particular. Being a gift from her brother, it reminded her of happier times.

She then walked back to her bed. The time on her scroll read 5:30 AM. She still had four and a half hours before the scheduled time for her departure. Her travel bags were open, the contents messily scattered all around floor. She stood up and began fixing her things, throwing in her bag all the clothes that her twin bought for her. When she finished, she placed one of two travel bags on top of her still-messy bed. Opposite hers, another bed sat in the other corner of the room. Unlike hers, this bed was fixed properly, except for the thin layer of dust on top. The owner had not slept in it for nearly a year now.

This brought a frown on the Jeane's face. Her brother had left for his new school precisely one year ago next week. The event had changed the young blonde's life.

At the time, she was devastated to find his bed empty except for a note on top of his sheets. Reading the note with tears, she found out that her brother had gone to his school without their parent's permission or notice. Her brother stated that once accepted into the school, there would be no way for him to return home without being expelled or dropping out. Expressing his apology in the letter, he asked his little sister to pass the message to their parents and to take care.

After her parents had learned about the incident, their father could only weep silently while praying for his son's safety. Their mother was slightly worse. She had a downcast expression for a week, but she didn't leave her room until their son sent them his first letter since leaving. Their little sisters' reaction was a tad apocalyptic. Not as much as Jeanne, but enough to cause a mess. However, the three eldest sisters were the ones who stepped forth and claimed responsibility for their brother's leaving. They were grounded for two months, but not one had regretted their actions. This left the family in a mess for over a quarter of the year.

The letter was received after almost a month had past; however, it came with another letter. In the first, their son expressed his apologies again, with a promise to send more filled with stories about his time at his new school. The second letter was addressed to their parents. After reading it, their mother had finally relaxed and their father released the three sisters from their punishment.

Five months ago, Jeane made a request to their parents to be able to go to the same school as her twin. Through her persistence, they gave their approval within a week but only on the condition that she undergoes strict training and will be able to match the school's standards by the time of enrollment.

Jeane had completed her end of the bargain, although, her brother had no idea she was coming to his school as part of the deal with her father.

Currently, she was fixing up her attire. As it was not required by the school to wear uniforms on the first day, she was picking the clothes she thought would surprise her brother. With a smile, she stared at herself in the mirror. Feeling satisfied with her clothes, she brought her combat gear on top of the bed and placed them neatly inside the second bag. After working for nearly two hours, she gave the large room one more look and left with her travel bags full of clothes and armor.

Her parents waited for her downstairs.

'When you meet your brother, tell him we miss him.' Her father's face beamed with a proud smile. His graying blonde hair was properly combed back as ever.

'Did you forget anything dear? All your clothes are packed? What about your stationeries? You might for–.' Her beautiful mother stammered on. Her blue eyes were streaming with tears as she tried to stifle a whimper. Jeane tried to ease her mother's anxiety.

'Mom, please calm down. I have everything I need. Besides, if I miss anything by the time I'm there, brother is sure to have it.'

Her trust in her twin has never waned in the past year of his absence. Her father then spoke again with a more serious tone.

'Then did you remember that you didn't have a weapon of your own? Don't tell me you expect your brother to share Crocea Mors, do you?'

Jeane winced at this, but her father smiled and held out a long box.

'I've taught you all you need to know about weapons. That's a gift I was unable to pass to your brother. And although I regret giving you two gifts and your brother none, I ask you to use this for his sake instead.'

Jeane opened the box and let out a small gasp. Smiling, she then asked.

'What's its name?'

'I never gave it one. It is yours to name.'

Jeane was taken aback but started to think. Her loyalty to her brother was her strongest point. She understood that well, but to use it for his sake, for his life–.

She thought of one. Her brother had taught her many languages before, including the one were his sword's name originated from.

'With my love for brother and to use it for his sake,'

'Hmm?' Her father raised an eyebrow.

'What about 'Caerula Vitae'?'


	2. Chapter 1: The Twin's Arrival

'Rook to D5 aaaand checkmate.'

'Noooooooo!'

'Better luck next time, Rubes.'

'My pretty pony... How could you..?'

'Mr. Arc. Ms. Rose. Could you please speak quietly while within the library? This is a place for learning, not emotional drama.'

'Sorry, ma'am. It won't happen again.'

'My free cookies...'

As the librarian left the team leaders, plus one, to their table, Ruby began to whimper once more for the loss of her beloved Knight piece.

It had already been a year since Initiation. The past year had been sorely uneventful, save for the capture of Roman Torchwick during the breach. The Vytal Festival that was supposed to take place was, for the first time in history, postponed because of this.

Team JNPR, as well as Team RWBY, were now in their second year. In light of their ascension through the ranks, they would have less written tests and more practical missions. As to how the two, Ruby in particular, were playing chess in the library, Ruby talked to Jaune about how to become a better tactician and leader.

Challenging the scraggly blonde to a chess match, they chose a fitting, intellectual stage to host their battle. To make things interesting, they made bets. Jaune wanted free training sessions while Ruby wanted hand-baked cookies.

'The winner is Jaune. He is awarded free training about combat from Ruby WITHOUT cookies.'

Residing as their judge, Pyrrha added emphasis to the results of the bet.

'Come on, Pyrrha. I can still bake some cookies even if Ruby lost the bet.'

A glimmer of hope shone in the little red hood's eyes...

'That would be a breach of the rules to the game, so no.'

...only to be dashed away by the redhead Spartan.

'Pyrrha?!'

'MR. ARC!'

'Sorry.'

After apologizing to the head librarian, Jaune gave Pyrrha a pleading look. The redhead tries to avoid his gaze by looking the other way, only to be met by a puppy-dog-eyed Ruby. With both flanks covered, the Spartan gives up her teasing.

'Ok. I get it. Ruby can have her cookies...'

'YAAAAAY!' The red hood began to jump in triumph until...

'... but only if I get a share of what you bake as well.'

... a deal was made.

'DONE!' Jaune agreed.

'UNDONE!' Ruby disagreed.

'OUT! NOW!'

As the three exited the library, snickering as they go, Ruby picks up a nostalgic topic.

'So. What do you guys think the Professor Ozpin has planned for this year's Initiation?'

'Knowing the headmaster, I would guess something random.'

'You guys think he'd do the same he did with us? He seems like the kind of guy who would launch kids into the forest with a catapult without blinking an eye.' The knight's sarcastic tone sounded along the almost empty corridor.

'Jaune, you're not still holding a grudge, are you?'

'Let's see. Launching me 300 meters into the air at the speed of 100 meters per second into a forest chock full of Grimm WHILE knowing that I had no actual combat training before entering Beacon and almost being killed by a Deathstalker after a close landing, what do you think?'

'You're angry?'

'DAMN RIGHT, I AM! If I could return the favor, I would stuff him in his own mug and launch him into the Emerald Forest at terminal velocity.'

Jaune's scroll started beeping, indicating a received message.

'What's up?' Ruby's innocent curiosity is piqued as the blonde knight hardly ever receives messages unless it is about Nora wanting pancakes or Ren asking for help concerning Nora.

Opening the inbox, he finds one mail with an 'unknown sender' notification. Opening it, they read it at the same time.

"Mr. Arc, please. Calm your voice down. We don't want you, Ms. Nikos and Ms. Rose getting permanently banned from the library, now would we?."

'...'

'...'

'...'

 _'He heard us from here?!'_ Ruby whispered quietly.

 _'It is his school. He may have hidden cameras or other recording devices placed as security measures.'_ Pyrrha answered with a hushed voice.

'Heheh'

Meanwhile, Jaune was shifting colors from his pale complexion to the shade of Weiss' hair.

The silence that followed was abruptly broken by another beeping from his scroll. Checking the sender's name, Jaune finally shifted back to is normal color palette.

'It's from the family. Let's see here. "She should be there soon. Take care of each other. Love you both. Dad. " Hmm.'

'Were you expecting someone?' Pyrrha's questioning gaze settled on her partner only to be met by a similar gaze.

'No one announced anything to me.' Jaune's honest answer raised another question. Ruby then curiously asked the obvious.

'Soooo. Who's coming?'

Meanwhile, at the airship docks,

'Bleeegh...'

A blonde haired girl dressed in a black hoodie fought with the contents of her stomach. Trying not to get her light blue jeans with a grey patch on the right shin splattered by vomit, she threw up once more.

'Bluuurgh... Haaah...Haaah...'

Deeply inhaling mouthfuls of air, she finally calmed her stomach... until it growled from hunger.

'Uuugh... I shouldn't have eaten those cinnamon buns.'

Jeane wasn't a fan of flying. Very few knew that motion sickness was a much more common problem than people let on. She began to tear up as she wretched another wave of nausea. How her brother endured the flight to Beacon left her in awe of her brother's resilience.

'Excuse me. Are you all right?'

The blonde wiped her mouth clean with the reddish-orange sleeves of her hoodie to face the deep, melodic voice behind her. She turned to face a girl that stood half a head taller than her. A camo hood covered most of the top of her head, leaving only her eyes and lower face exposed. Her jacket was zipped up to the collar while her knee-length leather shorts accentuated her curves.

'I'm fine. Thank you.'

'Are you sure? You look like you're about to faint.'

'Yes. Yes. I'm fine. I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine.' Replying to the tall girl, Jeane gave her a smile. It didn't last though.

'Guuuuuuuuu...'

Jeane winced in pain and bent forward as her hunger started to kick in again. The tall girl giggled and pulled out two bars of chocolate from her waist bag and hands one to the blonde

'Thanks.'

'You're welcome.'

'My name's Jeane. Jeane Arc.' Holding the bar in her left hand, she extends out her right.

'Francesca Sanctus. But you could just call me Fran.' Taking her hand, Fran returns a smile.

'So where are you from?' Jeane politely asked.

'I'm from the southern borders of Vacuo. You?'

'Orléa in Western Mantle.'

Fran's eyes widened for a moment. The autonomous city in the Western Isles was famous for being an independent state from Atlas. Not a kingdom, but self-sufficient and self-supported. Not a single person, human or Faunus, had not heard about the place where the heroes of the Great War settled down in.

'So when you say "Arc", do you mean "THE Arc", hero of the Great War?'

'Yeah. We get that a lot.'

Arc was once a famous family. Nowadays, they were just a family descended from one of the very first huntsman and huntresses in Remnant.

'Heheh. Must be hard, dealing with all that fame.'

'Not really. Actually the fame never really bothered us in any way before. I highly doubt it would anytime soon.'

'Is that so?' Fran raised an eyebrow.

'Yes.' Jeane smiled back.

As the two conversed in small talk, the other early arrivals around them were now walking in the direction of the east dorm rooms located at the northeast side of campus. Finishing up their conversation, the two decided to follow the others to their temporary abode. Jeane's waist armor and hip guard clanked away while they walked.

As they were a week early for Initiation, there were no assigned rooms for the newcomers. Deciding it better to stay together, Jeane and Fran chose a two-person room on the first floor. Leaving their bags in the room, they then began their self-guided tour of Beacon Academy.

While circling around the central courtyard, Fran and Jeane conversed about the design of the school itself.

'I just don't understand why they needed such a large courtyard. What would they do with such an enormously spacious area anyway?'

'I heard from my brother that last year, they had to set up tents and makeshift living quarters for the visiting students during the Vytal Festival. Sadly, since it was cancelled, all of the visitors had to return to their own combat schools until the Festival is held again here in Vale.'

'So... Wait! Does that mean your brother fought during the Breach?!'

'Yes. According to his letters, he said his team was the second to respond to the Grimm invasion.'

'So does that mean he's pretty badass since he was able to fight and survive a Grimm attack despite being a first year?' Fran began to get interested.

'Yes. My brother is amazing. He even said he fought and killed an Ursa Major.' Jeane began to smile while praising her brother's feats.

'Wait... What?'

'He even killed a Deathstalker during Initiation.'

'... Heh... Sounds... amazing?' Fran said with doubt in her voice, but apparently, Jeane was too immersed in praising her brother to notice.

But as they were conversing, they found themselves near a pond. Fran took a look at her surroundings, not recognizing any landmarks that were on the campus map she memorized in their room. She decided to pull the dreamy Jeane from her fantasies.

'Hey, Jeane, stop for a minute and look around you.'

The young blonde finally stopped and took a moment to review her surroundings and turned to the tall girl.

'Fran, where are we?'

'Walking all that way while talking, just how deep in thought were you to not notice?'

'I'm sorry. It's my fault we're lost. How about we ask for directions? Hmm...' Looking around she spotted a student reading a book under a nearby tree. 'I'll go ask her. Please wait for me here.'

Under the tree, a girl with hair as black as night, tied on top with a similarly black ribbon was reading the third volume of her favourite series. The title "Ninjas of Love: Shinobi Triangles" was printed in red text on a black background. The ribbon on top of her head twitched slightly at the sound of nearing foot prints and clanking metal. A clear voice then called out to her.

'Excuse me, Miss, but could you please point me to the direction of the cafeteria? You see, my friend and I got a little lost.'

'Circle back until you can see the statue of "The Heroes and the Grimm" then take one left and a right.' The black-haired politely answered without looking at the source of the voice.

'Ok. Thanks for the help.'

Before Blake could return her full attention to her book,

'Oh, I almost forgot. YOU SHOULDN'T BE READING SMUT BOOKS OUT IN THE OPEN DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY! THANKS AGAIN!'

A loud and embarrassing warning was thrown in her direction.

Blushing as red as the title of the book, Blake searched for the source of the voice, only to catch a stream of blonde hair turning the corner.

'Jeane, what are smut books?' Fran raised a question that surprised the blonde girl. Jeane found Fran's innocence to be cute and avoided answering her questions.

On the other side of campus,

'I hope it's not my mother.' Jaune was franticly searching all around the campus for whoever he was supposed to be expecting. His father had a bad habit of sending cryptic messages to his son and refused to reply back an explanation afterwards.

'Jaune. Please. Wait up.' Pyrrha ran behind him. She had been chasing the blonde knight around for nearly two hours now. 'Why wouldn't you want your mother to be here?'

'Because of the havoc she could make once she finds out I was being bullied for almost a year.' Jaune said with eyes full of fear.

'What about your sisters? Wouldn't they be able to stop her?' Ruby happily jogging beside her fellow team leader asked, using her Semblance to keep up.

'Oh no, Rubes. If you want to stop a dragon, you don't do it by releasing another, let alone three others.'

'I thought you said you had seven sisters? Why are you only scared of three?'

'Because I know there would be no chance the other four would come here alone. Three of them are too young and the other is...well... confined at home.'

'Then how do you propose we search?' Pyrrha asked her partner seriously.

'Let's split up. Pyrrha, take the dorms on the northeast side. Ruby will take the cafeteria and central plaza. I'll circle the docks before I go check the amphitheatre. Look for any blonde with grey, brown or green eyes and a peculiar hairstyle.'

'Got it.' Pyrrha gave a nod and turned the corner.

'Roger that.' Ruby ran ahead and turned to the left.

Jaune continued to run straight towards the docks, unaware of his little sister's predicament.

Near the amphitheatre,

'And then I said "That's not a litter box, you stupid cat!".'

'Hahehah'

'Heehahah'

'Hahahahah'

Team CRDL was currently loudly recounting jokes about their recent bullying while sitting on top of the cafeteria's tables, much to everyone else's annoyance.

Entering the large mess hall, Fran's sharp eyes spot them immediately.

'Jeane, we should avoid those people.' Gesturing to the four laughing idiots in the corner, Fran whispered her opinion.

'I understand.' As Jeane was about to follow her friend to the other side of the hall, she heard something she shouldn't have.

'And then Jauney boy comes up to me saying"Cardin stahp it. Yur hurting her."' Making a stupid sounding voice, Cardin joked. 'Man what a loser.' Cardin laughed at the memory.

'What a freak lover.' Sky added in.

'I bet he sleeps with one of them animals too.' Russel chided in while Dove just laughed idiotically.

Back on the other side, a pair of ice blue eyes started to quiver in anger.

'Jeane? Is something wrong?' Fran timidly asked her friend a question as it seemed that the blonde was lowering her gaze while trembling.

'No. Nothing's wrong, Fran.' Unable to see her friend's expression due to the messy blonde hair that now covered her face, the hooded girl slowly approached.

'Are you really ok–? Hey wait? Jeane?' Walking at a medium pace, Jeane walked towards Team CRDL in soft strides.

Before she arrives, her expression morphed. She then faced the biggest of the boys, Cardin Winchester, with a smiling face.

'Excuse me, but are you second years here at Beacon?'

'That's right cutie pie. Were you lookin' for a date?' Cardin replied with a disgustingly confident tone.

'Oh no, I was looking for someone who could show me how they spar here at Beacon. You see, I was home schooled and received a recommendation to enroll here at Beacon. Sadly I don't have a clue as to how the sparring practice is done here. So I was wondering if my seniors could spar with me.'

'Jeane, what are you–?' Fran tried to pull Jeane back, only to be blocked by Russel Thrush.

'Hey, lookin' for a double date?'

The boy's face was pressed all too closely to the leather-clad girls face.

'Let's make things interesting.' Jeane suddenly spoke, forcing Russel as well as Cardin to look at her beautiful, smiling face. 'If I lose the match, I'll grant you a wish, no holds barred. And if I win, you will grant me a wish. How 'bout that?'

Cardin smiled at the thought. 'Ok, missy. You got yourself a match. Who'll serve as the ref?'

'Mr. Winchester. What is this I hear about a fight taking place in the mess hall?'

A blonde woman with bright-green eyes and ovular-shaped glasses entered the hall. Glynda Goodwitch, the head disciplinarian and one of the very few teachers of the academy, entered the fray.

'Excuse me, but are you a professor of this academy?' Jeane's polite demeanor was directed at Goodwitch, who eyed both the blonde and the tall hooded girl behind her.

'Yes,' Glynda replied. 'I am.'

'We were wondering if our senior here could teach us how the sparring rules are at Beacon Academy.'

'If you wanted to know the rules, you could read it from the student pamphlet. You two are first years, aren't you?'

'Yes, but we thought it would be more interesting to do it practically rather than reading.'

'I see. However, I cannot condone–'

'I will approve your match.' Professor Ozpin strolls into the hall while sipping on his mug. 'However, you shall spar in tournament rules, and by no means are you allowed to cheat. Is that clear?'

'But Sir?!' Glynda is silenced by Ozpin who lifts his hand.

'Dangerous as it may be to pit a first year against a second year, the upcoming Vytal Festival is even more so. That is why we teachers exist, to prevent mishaps and accidents from ever happening and to punish those who would cause such things.'

The entire hall went silent, as the headmaster spoke.

'Now if you must have a match, do it in the amphitheatre so as to make this match as official as possible.'

'Thank you, sir. Let's go, Fran.'

At the back of the mess hall, a pair of silver eyes watched the entire scene unfold and left in a rush to find Jaune while messaging the Spartan to meet them at the amphitheatre.

Cardin was enjoying the attention. He was also contemplating on what to ask the girl to do for him once he wins. Although the blonde seemed vaguely familiar, Cardin pushed that thought aside as they entered the amphitheatre. Cardin as well as the rest of Team CRDL remained at the stage area where the match would take place. The blonde babe walked towards the opposite of Cardin's spot, her friend joining her. Ozpin stood by the door nearest the raised platform.

Goodwitch arrived at the center of the stage. 'The match will be played tournament-styled. Once your Aura levels reach the red line, you will be marked ineligible for combat and forfeit the match. Now, any questions?'

Raising her hand, Jeane made a request. 'Can we do this as a timed match?'

Whispers erupted from the ever-growing audience

'I beg your pardon, young lady, but that is extremely unorthodox–.'

'Glynda, let her do it.' Ozpin intervened again.

'Very well. Since the headmaster is being lenient, your time limit is five minutes. Whoever between you two has the highest level of remaining Aura will be the victor. Ready yourselves.'

Cardin brought out his mace while Jeane pulled a small rod about as long her shin guard.

'Ready... Begin.'

The next thing Cardin knew, his body had drilled a hole into the wall behind him, while an ice-blue eyed, blonde stood in front of his original position.

The large hall was silent for a good ten seconds until Goodwitch sighed and announced.

'The winner of this match is Jeane Arc.'

The room burst into applause as the result was announced.

Entering the amphitheatre through the door behind Ozpin, Jaune heavily panted as he searched the large hall. However, when he spots the black ribbon on top of the blonde's hair, he murmurs before he passes out.

'Oh great. The demon has arrived.'

 _ **Author's Notes: Hi! This the first fan fiction I have ever written AND published in my entire life. I welcome reviews from anyone and everyone in the coming future, to improve myself as well as to understand the readers. You can also PM me for ideas for new stories. I already developed a taste for Arkos but I am willing to explore other ships as well. Thank you and please enjoy the story.**_


	3. Chapter 2: The Longest Day

"Hurry up, Laus. You gotta see this view."

"Urrmph... Could you please not rush me? I'm not a fan of heights, remember?"

The large commercial airship that was delivering the second batch of early arrivals to Beacon was making its way towards the Academy's cliffs. The time was nearly midnight. The shattered moon was hovering near its zenith, just about to align with the Emerald Tower of the school, where the headmaster's office was located.

Standing beside the railings of the deck, a brown-skinned boy stared at the view of Beacon. His spiky golden hair, pulled back by a crimson headband, seemed to glow in the night. His gold-trimmed, crimson sash tied at his waist flapped in tandem with the breeze.

"Hey, Laus." He called his partially armored friend.

"Uggrrrmmmph... What is it, Reus?"

"You heard that this place divides us into teams, right?"

The dark-haired youth turned to face his friend with a pair of dark grey eyes.

"I did. What about it?"

"I wonder who's gonna be on my team."

"...Heheh... Hahahaa–...Urrrmmph..." The armored knight laughed out loud despite his nausea. "Admit it. You just don't want to be put into a team full of strangers, don't you?"

"Of course, not, idiot." Aureus' long golden hair swayed in the cool breeze that blew overhead. His reddish-brown eyes surveyed the approaching campus covered in the shattered moon's light.

"Hmm," Laus smiled at his best friend. "You're not the only one worried, pal."

"What do you mean?"

Laus responds with a shrug but kept smiling at his friend.

Heaving a sigh, Aureus takes one more look at their new school.

"Well, I'm goin' back to bed." Walking in the direction of the entryway below deck, he notices Laus was still standing beside the railings. "You comin' or what?"

"I'll stay a little longer." Facing Aureus, he adds, "I just need to clear my head."

"Don't stay too long then. You don't want to get caught sneakin' around, would ya?"

After hearing Aureus' footsteps fade away, Laus fetches his scroll from behind his chest plate and types a message using his unarmored right hand.

'Will be arriving at the objective by daybreak. Commencing start of mission in 5 days.'

After sending the message, Laus breathes in the fresh salt sea air before returning to his cabin.

A scroll started beeping in the middle of the room.

A boy with long, dark hair with a streak of magenta on the left got up from his sleep and tapped the scroll to stop ringing. Getting off his bed, he walked in the direction of their room's individual bathroom. Washing his face, he fixes his hair in a ponytail. After dressing himself up, he turns to wake his partner and childhood friend.

An orange-haired girl was sleeping in a very awkward position next to his bed. Her feet rested on her pillow while her face was planted on the floor. Snoring peacefully, Nora Valkyrie slept like a sloth.

"...pancakes..." She murmured in her sleep.

"Nora," Ren gave her a nudge.

"...five minutes..." The orange-head sleepily snored.

"If you wake up in three, I'll add extra syrup," Ren whispered in her ear.

Suddenly,  
"DID YOU SAY PANCAKES?!"

"With extra syrup."

The lazy sloth turned into an energetic child.

"Wash your face then wake the other two while I make breakfast."

"Got iiiit!"

Ren was opening the closet to get ingredients while Nora was happily humming her favourite tune. After hearing the faucet being turned off, Nora suddenly asked a question.

"Renny, since when did we have two Jauneys?"

"Are you still asleep?" Ren continued to busy himself with the contents of the closet, filling his arms with a bowl, pan, eggs and a bag of flour. Turning around to face his partner, he noticed a strange sight. Across the room, opposite his bed, Pyrrha slept silently under her sheets. However, in the bed next to hers, two blondes were currently sleeping.

One of them snored quietly while wearing a bunny-printed onesie. Their leader was laying face-up under his sheets. Jaune's face had a relaxed expression on it. Pyrrha had explained the night before that he had been running around the school looking for someone until he collapsed in exhaustion. And after carrying him back to the dorms, she had tucked him to sleep, leaving Ren to change their leader's attire, not that he minded.

The sight of his leader on his bed sleeping wasn't the concern though. The second blonde had both arms wrapped around Jaune's neck and her position indicated that she slipped into the bed without the owner's notice. Nora was right as she had a similar appearance to Jaune. The most surprising thing, however, is that she was wearing only a hoodie as her top.

"Reeeeen?" Nora called her best friend while giving him a puzzled face.

"Uhhh." Ren pondered for a while with his arms full of cooking utensils and ingredients. He quickly thought of three options.  
A. Wake up Jaune and ask what was going on.  
B. Wake up Pyrrha and ask what was going on.  
C. Wake up the strange blonde that looked like Jaune and ask who she was.

Giving the options a thought, he listed the pros and cons. Option A could solve the problem directly, but Ren wasn't inconsiderate enough to disturb his friend's rest just because he was curious, especially since Jaune collapsed the night before. Option B could at least provide a clear explanation of the situation but, knowing Pyrrha's feelings for their leader, he didn't want to make her sad, or better yet, jealous of the bottomless blonde. Option C would put himself in the right as the room belonged to Team JNPR and any visitor must have the consent of at least two of their members.

Just as Ren was about to make his decision, Nora happened.

"Hey, Jaune, who's the girl?!" Yelling out in a loud voice, Nora's curiosity shattered the peaceful atmosphere. "Pyrrha, since when did you let Jaune bring other girls to the room? Or did you finally clone a Jauney for yourself?"

Ren panicked and rushed to cover the Valkyrie's mouth, leaving him to drop all he was carrying. The loud noise of cracking eggs and a bowl hitting floor woke the blonde girl from her sleep, leaving Ren to scream internally.

Yawning, she untangles her arms around Jaune's neck. Sitting up, she pulls back her long hair from covering her face. She stretches her arms as she gets up, walks towards the bathroom and turns on the faucet.

Stirring in his bed, Jaune wakes up and stretches as well.

"G'morning...Haaah..."

Greeting Ren while yawning, whose hands were plastered on Nora's mouth, Jaune sleepily entered the unlocked bathroom. After a few seconds, a clear non-masculine voice screamed out.

Pyrrha jumped from her bed and followed Ren and Nora as they rush towards the bathroom. Suddenly, Team JNPR's door burst open with Team RWBY's members, still in their pajamas, pouring into the small room.

"What's going on?!"

"It's too early to be doing this!"

"We heard a scream."

"Is some girl in trouble?"

Entering last, Yang surveyed the room for a damsel in distress. Spotting Team JJNPR, she assessed their status. Ren had feinted at the bathroom's entryway. Nora was giving him an electrical CPR via Semblance. Jaune was lying on the bathroom's tiles with a posture that suggests he slipped on the floor and had hit his head. A female Jaune was holding a black-and-orange hoodie while washing her face at the sink. Pyrrha stood still beside Nora and was staring at the Jaune in front of the sink.

Yang's Conclusion: There were no damsels in distress.

Jeane finished washing her face, drying it up with the front of her hoodie. She tried to tie her ponytail but noticed that she didn't bring her ribbon into the bathroom. She tried to leave the bathroom only to face a group of six girls, one of which was electrocuting an unconscious boy with her hands.

"Who are you?!"

Jeane faced a redhead wearing a bronze tank top and dark-red pants. Her vivid green eyes eyed the blonde's ice-blue ones for a short moment before dropping her gaze to her partner.

"Jaune!"

Kneeling beside another unconscious boy, the redheaded girl tries to wake the onesie-wearing blonde on the floor.

Jeane, fully awake, suddenly recognizes the boy on the floor.

"Brother!"

Swiftly rushing to Jaune's other side, she grabs and shakes her twin's shoulders.

"Brother, please wake up! Brother, please! Big brother!"

Partially crying, Jeane rests her head on her brother's chest, checking for breathing.

There was none.

Jeane proceeded to do what seemed to be the most natural thing to do in the situation. She breathed in fresh air and kissed the boy, making everyone else except for Nora and the still-unconscious Ren in the room gasp and turn to a light shade of red. Pumping fresh air into her twin's lungs, she pressed down on her brother's chest several times. After repeating the process twice, Jaune started coughing as he struggled to breathe.

Opening his eyes, Jaune spots two things that were strange. The first thing was Pyrrha who sat on his right side. Her green eyes were tearing up and her face was beet red while giving a look of extreme worry. Other than that she seemed to be fine. The second thing was on his left. Making a pained face, his twin, Jeanne Arc was crying her ice-blue eyes out. Using his left hand, he touched his twin's face and let out a sigh.

"Hey, sis. How've you been?"

Jeanne began to cry harder than before.

"... Stupid Brother... Don't make me worry like that..." She whispered between sniffling.

Sitting up, Jaune found the members of Team RWBY staring, glaring and giving him other weird looks, the last one coming from Yang. He decided to ask.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Oh, nothing, Jauney-boy. Just wonderin' how you got such a beautiful girl out of her clothes and into your arms."

Yang added with a wink.

Looking around, Jaune finally notices and snaps.

"JEANE, WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT KEEPING YOUR CLOTHES ON WHEN YOU SLEEP?!"

The remainder of the morning was spent with Team RWBY and Team NPR, minus Jaune, interrogating the twins that sat cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the room, Jaune out of his onesie and into his casuals and Jeane borrowing her brother's fresh clothes. Team RWBY as well as Pyrrha and Nora had already changed their attire as talking seriously was impossible if they were still wearing their sleepwear.

Ren, who was brought back by Nora's personal, Aura-powered defibrillators, sat quietly beside Nora on his bed with tissues plugged up his nose. Apparently, seeing a naked body that was not Nora's had a serious effect on the guy. Nora was happily eating a 3-foot tall pile of pancakes covered in a centimeter –thick layer of syrup. Pyrrha stood at the center of the room facing the Arc twins, her gaze hiding a twisted form of curiosity.

Yang and Ruby sat at the foot of Jaune's bed. The red reaper eyed the ice-blonde with curiosity while the brawler had a huge smirk on her face. Weiss stood beside Pyrrha's bed, her gaze shifting between Arcs as the interrogation drew on. Blake, sitting on Nora's bed, wasn't watching, rather, not directly. Hiding behind her book, "Ninjas of Love: Shinobi Triangles" (with camouflage book cover), she listened in on their conversation, occasionally sneaking peaks at the female Arc.

"I understand that you are Jaune's younger, twin sister, Jeane Arc, and it seems you are one of the early arrivals of the upcoming Initiation. But what I don't understand is your reasons for sneaking into our team's room. Snuggling with your brother while he slept is one thing, but I doubt that anyone would approve of doing so WITHOUT wearing your clothes."

Pyrrha's statement was answered only by a polite smile from the silent Jeane. Unable to get any response from her, she decides to ask Jaune.

"Jaune, do you mind explaining your sister's behaviour?"

"Uhm–" He nervously twiddles how to explain.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha repeats.

"My guess is that it's a bad habit she picked up from one of our elder sisters."

"Bad habit..." Pyrrha eyed him with doubt.

"Yeah, one of our sisters is a genius when it comes to designing and building weapons, but she has this sort of hobby of writing indecent books. And it looks like while I was gone, she took care of Jeane for me. Long story short: Jeane here is quick to learn, but it's kinda hard for some lessons to be unlearned, especially if she picks it up from someone who has a long history of bad habits."

"Ok, time out. Why would your twin need a babysitter?" Weiss chimed in. "She looks more capable in a fight than you do."

"Ouch. The ice queen doesn't hold back." Yang's comment bites.

"Oh stop it. It's not like you don't tease every one when you get the chance. " Ice Queen bites back.

"Eheem." Pyrrha intervenes. "You said you're twins, but why did your sister enter a year after you? And, more importantly, how?"

"Ms. Nikos?" Jeane spoke up.

"Call me Pyrrha." The Spartan smiled.

"Then, Pyrrha. As you've said, I joined a year later than my brother. The reason was he entered the school without our parents', let alone my, knowledge." Jeane continued. "By the time I asked our father to let me enroll in this school, brother was already here for half a year. All I could do was undergo our father's combat training in preparation for the new school year."

"Hey, no fair. Dad refused to teach me for four years."

"You brought this upon yourself, brother. You left me alone to come to this school. And for what? To flirt with the Ice Queen over there?" Shots were fired.

"Hey!" Schnee was bitten back.

"See. I knew she wasn't just cute." Yang approves.

"When I heard you were rejected numerous times (Jaune groans at the memory), I thought you would just give up and move on." Jeane adds. ("But now I see you failed to notice that you snagged a different fish instead. Dear brother, how dense can you get?")

Jeane smiled at Pyrrha, conveying hidden sympathy.

"That still doesn't explain how you got into our room."

Everyone turned to face Jeane again after hearing Ren's question.

"I am not a crook." She replied.

Before anyone could retort, a knock came from the door.

"Excuse me, but is this Team JNPR's room?" A clear, melodic voice sounded from the other side.

Blake, who was the closest, opens the door to find a tall, leather-clad girl in a small hood standing in the corridor. Blake suddenly ends up staring into the visitor's eyes. The latter reciprocated. Just before Blake could ask, Jeane suddenly stood up and called the visitor.

"Fran?"

Fran's attention then turned to the standing blonde.

"Ah, there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you. They said this was the only place where I could find a Jaune Arc."

"Uh... Weren't you looking for Jeane?" Yang asked feeling confused.

"Yes, I was, but since Jeane and I haven't passed the Initiation yet, we aren't registered to any dorm rooms. When Jeane disappeared this morning, I deduced that she may have gone to her brother, seeing as he's the only family she's got here."

Turning to face a sitting Jaune, Fran added.

"It's nice to meet you, Jaune Arc. Your sister talks about you a lot. My name is Francesca Sanctus, but you can call me Fran."

"Um... Hi..." Jaune answers weakly to the newcomer's introduction.

"Fran, why were you looking for me?" Jeane then asks.

"They just delivered the rest of your things to the makeshift dorm. I had them bring it into our room before looking for you." Fran answered. "There was a letter among the things they delivered too."

Fran handed her friend what used to be a white envelope. It had splotches of oil and the smell of coal.

"Wait! Don't tell me Lana made you a weapon." Jaune was taken aback.

"Of course she did. It's her form of revenge for just flirting around and not visiting home since you came here." Jeane replied with a smirk.

"I told you guys that I was on an extended mission then." Jaune gives his excuse.

"You're sister makes weapons?" Ruby joins in, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "OOOOHHH! What did she make for you?"

Jeane picks up her hoodie from Jaune's bed, pulling out a small rod from the pocket. Its length was from her wrist to her elbow, covered in white, gold and blue details.

"Oooh. What does it do?" Ruby asked.

"Do you want to test it out?" Jeane asked.

"YES," Agreed Ruby.

"I'm afraid NOT, Ms. Rose."

Hearing a new voice, everyone faced the doorway to see a third blonde standing beside Fran. Her bright green eyes were fixated on Jeane and her weapon.

"Ms. Arc, I'm afraid I already told you that unregistered students aren't allowed into the dorms. The same goes for you, Ms. Sanctus."

"I apologize, Ms. Goodwitch. I came here to see my brother, even though I knew it was against the rules. I will gladly accept any punishment you would give me as long as you forgive Fran. It was because of me that she entered the dorms."

Jeane stepped forward with a serious face.

"Hmmm." Glynda's eyes grew, impressed with Jeane's attitude. "Since you are remorseful of your actions, I will let you go with a warning. But I won't be so lenient next time, is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." Glynda turns to face Ruby. "Ms. Rose, although you may be two years younger than Ms. Arc, you must remember that you are a second year and her senior at Beacon. You do remember the prohibition of the use of weapons within the dorms, I hope."

"Sorry, Ms. Goodwitch." Ruby smiled innocently.

Heaving a sigh, Goodwitch turns to face the others.

"Now, I know that you don't have any classes, but it's not healthy for you all to stay cooped up in your dorms. Now why don't you all go and have your meal in the mess hall."

Finishing with a rare smile, Ms. Goodwitch leaves the dorm. Following their teacher's advice, Team RWBY heads to the mess hall first. Blake gives Fran one more look behind her book, which Fran gives back, and closes the door behind her.

"We should go as well." Ren spoke up. "It's nearly time for lunch."

Nora's stomach grumbles in approval, earning the surprised gapes of both Jeane and Fran.

"Oh, Nora," Ren sighs.

"Sooorrrry, Reeeen," Nora sings.

Ren walks past Fran and out the door, followed by Nora, happily humming a tune.

"Let's go too?" Jaune invites Pyrrha with his left hand.

After taking it with a blushing face, Pyrrha walks with him towards the door... only to be stopped by a Jeane, wearing a smirk on her face. Mouthing the words 'I knew it.', Jeane's smirk grew wider, causing the knight and Spartan to grow even redder in the face.

"Please, Sis, don't tell the others." Jaune pleads.

"Oh don't worry about me, dear brother. Your secret's safe with me. (Jaune sighs in relief.) BUT ONLY IF (Jaune gulps deeply.) you tell me all about it later AND you bake me my favorite chocolate cake topped with caramel custard with whip cream and strawberries."

"..."

"..."

Pyrrha and Fran remained silent. Jaune gave the Spartan a worried look. After giving her partner a dry smile, Jaune sighs in defeat.

"Fiiiiinnnne. I'll do it," Jaune concedes.

"Yes!" Jeane wins.

"How do you keep eating that stuff without gaining weight?" Jaune adds.

"That's a lady's secret, big bro," Jeane gives her twin a wink before turning to her friend. "Come on, Fran."

After the two first years left, Jaune faces his partner and says, "Aaaand that's why I don't talk about my sisters."

To which, the Spartan replies with a nervous laugh.

In the mess hall, Team RWBY was currently looking for a place to sit.

"Why is it so packed today?"

Blake, normally silent, was craving for the usual silence of the cafeteria during breaks. The entire hall was bustling with activity. Many weren't wearing uniforms while others were armed.

"Looks like a lot of them are early arrivals," Yang looked around for a free seat. "Ms. Goodwitch said the school would take care of any new students before Initiation."

"Why would they do that?" Ruby asked.

"It's because of the Vytal Festival," Weiss answered the reaper's question.

Noticing her Team's gazes, Weiss explains.

"You guys remember the breach. There were rumors about a spy hiding among the exchange students."

"But why suspect the students?"

"You weren't exactly a grown-up when you joined the White Fang, weren't you?"

"You don't think Ozpin's expecting a spy to enroll in his school, do you?" Yang verified. "He wouldn't allow it. Wouldn't he?"

"Jaune got through, though. Ooops." Realizing her mistake, Ruby covered her mouth, dropping her tray full of cookies.

Yang, Weiss and Blake stopped walking. Turning on the spot, they gave Ruby looks of suspicion.

"Are you hiding something?" Yang asked with her voice full of mischief.

"Uhhh... No?" Ruby says while her gaze slowly drifts to the side.

"Why are you asking us?" Weiss observed.

"Uh...Cuz...Um...?"

Ruby stammered until something caught her eye. Widening her eyes as a large object flies in their direction, Ruby screams, "GET DOWN!"

With a large crash, a golden streak crashed into the wall behind them, sending trays, dust and food flying into the air. Standing up from the wreckage, a boy with dark skin cleans the crimson sash on his waist. Straightening out his golden hair and headband, he's eyes sharpens as he says,

"Is that all ya got?"

 _ **Author's Notes: Thank you for reading my work again. If you think it needs improvement or correction. Please PM me or post it as a review. The following is a guide to pronounce the names of the OCs. But it's just my personal effects so meh. XD Thanks again.  
Pronunciation: Jeane/jan , Glaus/gloss , Aureus/awreyus , Fran/fran**_


	4. Chapter 3: Heroics and Devil Pranks

Shei was troubled.

Beacon was an amazing place. The dorms were comfortable. The school grounds were spacious. The equipments were of the latest models. There was just one thing about Beacon that she never expected of a school designed to train the defenders of the world.

"Please, let me go!"

"Hahahahah. The rat speaks."

"Hey, freak. Aren't your germs contagious?"

"Please stop. It hurts!"

"Says the disease-covered animal."

Shei Strega was a Faunus. Like any other day, there were people who would glare at her Faunus heritage with scorn and anger. Sometimes, they would spit or throw insults at her, but she didn't expect anyone to physically assault her on the first day she arrived at Beacon. Shei's white-tipped ears had caught the attention of two students. The one that grabbed her right ear was a tall, burly first year while his shorter, scrawnier, partner threw insults and jeers one after the other. Like her, they were first years who have yet to pass Initiation.

"Please stop it!"

"You heard somthin'?"

"What? All I hear is 'squeak'' 'squeak'."

Shei was fine if it were only laughs and insults. Contrasting her rather delicate appearance, she was mentally prepared for the discrimination given to her by humans for being a Faunus. But to have her ear violently pulled as she was looking for a place to sit was something she wasn't ready for. The teachers weren't around to stop the bullies. The other first years were of no help at all either. The people around them just ignored her cries.

"Hey, check out this tail."

"Geez, that's disgusting."

"OWW! Stop that!"

The bullies were now tormenting her tail. Shei was in intense pain. Her tail was an extension of her spine. This made it even more sensitive than her ears. If it suffered any kind of injury, it could paralyze her legs, or worse.

"Please. No more. What did I ever do to you?!" Shei pleaded.

"Hey, I've been wonderin'." The bully spoke to Shei's ear.

"Huh?"

"How did an animal like you get into this school?"

"What do you mean? I took the combat exam like everyone else."

"What're ya talkin' about? I don't remember them ever allowin' an animal to take the exam."

"Hahahaaah. Nice one bro."

As the bully who had an iron grip on her right ear spoke, the shorter one laughed enthusiastically. Shei was trembling in fear. She could handle verbal abuse and name-calling, but she couldn't handle physical pain. Unlike words, physical injuries left scars.

Just as the bully was about to yank on her ear and tail once more,

"Hey, mind if I join you guys?"

"..."

"..."

"?"

A dark-skinned boy with golden hair approached the group, a stupid grin plastered on his face. Noticing the newcomer, the bullies glared at him.

"What? You want some of this?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. I want to join in on your fun."

The stranger continued to smile like an idiot while the bullies quickly discussed their options. After a while, the bullies smiled at each other. Then the tall one said,

"'OK then. Grab the freak's ear."

"Got it."

Cowering once again, Shei prepared her left ear for the pain. But the ear-pulling never came. Instead,

"OWWOWOWOWO!"

"Oh wow! This is sooo much fun!"

"Hey! What the hell ya doin'?"

"I'm pulling 'the freak's' ear like he told me too."

"OWOWWWOWOWO! LET ME GO! I SAID LET GO!"

Shei felt her right ear being released from the painful grip. Lifting up her face, Shei saw an unbelievable sight. The new arrival was pulling on the taller bully's right ear with his left hand while smiling stupidly. The bully was out of balance as the stranger was shorter than him but tried to resist awkwardly.

Using his right hand, he tried to grab the golden-haired boy's vest collar, only to have his hand twisted and pinned to his own back by the boy's own right. Having one hand pinned and an ear tormented, the bully was pushed down onto a nearby table.

"LET GO ALREADY!"

"Oh? Did the 'freak' talk just now? All I hear is 'squeal' 'squeal'."

"STOP THAT!"

"How strange. For someone that enjoys hearing other's cry in pain, you don't like the sound of your own."

Hearing her rescuer's words, Shei's eyes moved to the stranger's face. He was still smiling, but Shei instinctively knew. His smile wasn't filled with delight.

"LET GO, DAMN IT!"

"All right, you said it."

The stranger finally let go of the bully's ear. But instead of releasing, he pulled on the bully's pinned arm, sending the tall, brawny boy crashing on top of his lean-built partner. As the two tormenters lay on the floor, the golden haired boy turned and approached Shei. Trembling in fear, Shei cowered into a ball, covering both her ears with a hand each.

"You alright? They didn't hurt you too bad, didn't they?"

Shei didn't budge.

"Look, I mean no harm. It's alright."

"..."

Shei slowly lifted her face to look at the stranger. The boy was holding out his hand to her. Staring back at hers, his reddish-brown eyes carried no hate or fear. His smile was now filled with warmth and had a childish innocence to it.

"See? I don't want to hurt you."

Slowly, Shei took his hand and stood up.

"You're not afraid of people like me?" Shei asked.

"Hmm? Why should I be? Oh yeah. I'm Aureus, by the way. What's yours?" The boy asked.

Shei was confused for a moment. A stranger comes to save her out of the blue and now, after a quick self-introduction, that same person was asking for her name. Flustered, she noticed the bat flying behind the boy's head too late.

"Look out–!"

A loud sound of metal smashing into flesh could be heard. Shei could only gasp in shock as the boy was sent flying into the wall across the hall, sending dust and debris flying all over the crash area. The surrounding students began to scatter away from their seats. Some were concerned enough to continue looking. Others took it upon themselves to leave immediately.

Standing with a giant metal bat in hand, the bully whose ear was pulled breathed heavily after swinging the bat which looked to be twice his weight.

"How do ya like that?!"

"You got him, bro! Hahahah."

The two bullies laughed away as they thought they had won.

The dust subsided and a voice, full of vigor and energy sounded to interrupt the two.

"Is that all ya got?"

The bullies, dumbstruck into silence, began to quiver. The voice sounded again.

"If that's all, then, it's my turn."

Jumping on top of the table in front of him, Aureus kicked off in a dash, his sandaled feet scattering trays of food all around. Quickly stepping past the contents of the tables, he jumps from the first table to the second in a flash. Before the bully could fully swing his bat in retaliation, Aureus had already planted his foot on the bullies face. Using the large bully's face as a footing, he performs a back flip to avoid the incoming barrel of the bat. As the bat misses Aureus' by a hair's width, it continues its arc path into the second bully's face, knocking him out.

As the first bully recovers his bearings, he realizes he was now alone. Face to face with Aureus, who had positioned himself on top of the second table, he raises his bat once more, shivering in fear.

Several onlookers all watched with bated breath as such a brawl had never once occurred in the history of Beacon Academy (Well not the official one anyway).

Now facing only one opponent, Aureus' smile had turned into a devilish grin. He crouched on top of the table, now at the same eye-level as his foe. Stretching his grin, he spoke again in a more intimidating tone.

"So, what do you wanna do? You could run and live or I could end you now. What will it be?"

Aureus waved each of his hands as he stated his options, the first towards the door on his left, the second towards the ground.

"RAAAAAGH!"

Raising his bat in a fury, the bully charges Aureus with a battle cry.

"Big mistake."

A bright light erupted at the palms of Aureus' hands, bathing the entire hall in a burning radiance and blinding all who were present.

When the light faded away, the bully lay on the floor unconscious. His giant bat lay at his side. Dusting his hands, Aureus got off from the table and, once more, approached Shei, who was in the middle of adjusting her eyes.

"Sorry about the rude interruption. Are you alright?"

"What was that?" Shei responded with a question.

"Oh that? I just used my Aura to knock him out for a while. I didn't really want to hurt the guy."

"Hah?" Shei replied in confusion.

"Never mind them. Don't you need to go to the infirmary?" Aureus' sudden concern brought more confusion to Shei.

"No I... I'm alright now. There's no need to worry about me." Shei tried to collect her thoughts while answering the boy's concern.

"Then, wanna grab a bite to eat with me?" Aureus asks.

"Huh?!" Shei turns red as her composure is broken by Aureus' invitation.

Noticing the redness of her face, Aureus' face made another concerned look.

"You know? Let me take you to the infirmary. Just to be safe."

Grabbing her by the hand, Aureus walks in the direction of the exit when,

"No, I–"

THWACK and CRASH

Aureus is sent flying once again, his assailant, a young blonde with eyes red in fury.

Shei, shocked once more, quickly ran towards Aureus' landing point while leaping over tables and students alike.

Unknown to either of the two, Aureus had ticked off a fully-blonde Yang when he was sent flying into the wall a minute ago. His crash had sent food, debris and other random things flying into the air. Among this was a shard of a porcelain tile which flew past a lock of golden hair, ripping several strands from their rightful place. Realizing this a few moments late, Xiao Long had erupted into a fiery volcano and released her wrath onto the only conscious cause.

Crashing into the opposite side of the hall now, Aureus had disappeared in another cloud of smoke and dust. His impact sent more food flying all over the place, hitting random students in the process.

"That's what you get, you little brat!" The blonde brawler shouts before walking back to her shocked teammate's position.

"YANG?! What have you done?!" Blake was, surprisingly, the first to react.

"What, he shredded my hair." Yang defended with a weak excuse.

"Sis, he didn't do it on purpose!" followed Ruby.

"If you end up killing him, I had no involvement in your violent activities." Ice Queen responds.

"Fine, I'll go and apologize–"

SMACK

An apple pie had landed on top of the brawler's locks, dyeing her golden strands in blood red, the perpetrator: a similarly golden haired boy and in his hands another pie and a random watermelon.

"A FOOD FIGHT IT IS THEN!" He screamed and began throwing more food in the direction of Team RWBY.

Responding to his provocation, Yang lifts up the nearest table, dispersing the students who were enjoying their meal, and swings it. The contents of noodle soup, beef stew and other lunches flew in a wide curve, spraying around like the pellets of a sawed-off shotgun.

Aureus had already grabbed Shei by the hand and brought her to his makeshift fort, a flipped table. Ducking into cover just as the blonde's artillery was about to hit, Aureus was already looking for more ammo. Luckily, a soda vending machine had broken his fall. The smashed appliance had scattered soda cans all over the crash site. Picking up two cans of Dusta Cola, he returned fire with improvised grenades, laughing playfully as he did.

Shei was gasping for air beside him. She had just darted towards her savior's aid only to find him openly asking for a food fight. Trying not to get hit by flying boiled eggs, Shei picked up a black object that flew in her direction. It had a plastic covering and a papery feel to it. Opening her eyes, she realized she had grabbed a book with a black cover and a red title. Praying that she didn't accidentally get it wet or dirty, Shei hid the book in her bag and resumed to defend herself by picking up a plastic tray.

Incidentally, the entire hall had split into three groups. The first, comprised mostly by second years, was evacuating the mess hall. The second, led by Yang, was throwing everything from sausages to soups toward the west side of the hall. The last group was being led by one Aureus, sending soda can after soda can in a fizzy barrage, and one deranged Nora, (who, along with Team JNPR, Jeane and Fran, just arrived at the scene).

As Yang and Nora kept up the fire, their teammates tried to reduce the damage by evacuating the other students. Team JNPR (minus Nora) had the hardest time as Yang's ammo consisted of more than just food. Jaune, in particular, kept getting hit by a flying plate every now and then but managed to get several first year girls out of harm's way by using himself as a shield, making his partner proud (and at the same time, a little jealous).

Team RWBY couldn't say they were doing better as Nora's come back for a flying chair was a flipped over table. As Weiss deflected the wooden furniture with her glyph, Ruby tried to gather any would-be victims into their crude fort of overturned tables and upturned chairs. Blake was nowhere to be found since the rumble began. Ruby heard the cat girl hissing about her book being thrown into the fiasco and only managed to get one glimpse of her panicked face before disappearing into the storm of plates and vegetables.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the hall, a hooded girl with freckles was scouting the battlefield between Camp Valkyrie and Camp Brawler. Like Team RWBY, JPR and Jeane, she was rescuing the other students. But instead of running around, she was directing her energy into finding students who were pinned down by the onslaught. Noticing a brown-eared Faunus hiding behind a flipped table, her tan eyes darted across the hall in search of her friend. Spotting Jeane too occupied with another group of escapees, the leather-clad girl tightly pulled down her hood and decided to jump into the fray.

She bounded left and right to avoid the flying debris. Ducking under one of the last tables to remain standing, she narrowly avoids getting crushed by a chair. Checking to see if the coast was clear, she leaps out once more and plants herself beside the trembling mouse-girl.

Noticing the new arrival, Shei jolted in surprise.

"Follow me if you want to get out of here," said the freckled girl.

"Who are you?" replied Shei.

"I'm Fran. I'm a first year like you. My friend and I are trying to help the second years evacuate the others." Fran motioned to Team JNPR (minus Nora) and Jeane as she said this.

"Ok. I'll follow you."

Confirming with a nod, Shei follows the girl. Around impaled chairs and upside down tables, the two weaved their way through the warzone. Once they arrive at the entrance, a particularly angry person welcomed them.

"Children, how many times have I told you to not play with your food?"

A few minutes later, Ms Goodwitch had the cafeteria-turned-battlefield cleaned up. To discern the start of the mess hall's destruction, she had confined two people in one of the empty classrooms and was individually interrogating them (Nora was left out as she just joined in on 'the fun' as witnessed by Ren).

Waiting outside, Team RWBY (minus Yang), Team JNPR and several first years stood in attention. Ordered by Ms. Goodwitch to remain as is until she determines the cause of the scenario, everyone, including Nora, stood still and waited for the teacher.

After getting Yang's and Aureus' stories, she returns to the corridor and searches for verification from the people standing in file.

"Children. Which one of you would like to verify Ms. Xiao Long's version of the story?"

"Yo," Ruby volunteers for her sister's defence.

"Now, will anyone here vouch for Mr. Rex?"

Shei slowly tried to raise her hand but was preceded by a stranger's voice.

"I'll do it."

Stepping forward from the line, a half-armored boy standing a head taller than Shei volunteered. His grey shirt and jeans were dirty from scattered food, but his short black hair and grey-tinged eyes were as sharp as steel. His right leg and left arm were plated with silver grey armor; even his chest plate covered only a portion of his body. His build was robust but he gave a fragile feeling with his pale complexion.

"And your name is?"

"Glaus Miles, ma'am. I was aboard the same airship as Aureus Rex."

"Very well. Mr. Miles, Ms. Rose, please follow me." Ms. Goodwitch turns to walk back to her interrogation room when,

"Umm, excuse me." Shei raised her hand."

"And you would be?" asked the blonde teacher.

"Shei Strega, Miss Goodwitch. Aureus defended me from the bullies before the fight started."

"Hmm. Is that so? Well please follow me, then. The rest of you are free to go." Everyone relaxed and began to disperse. "Except for you six," Jaune and the gang tensed up. "You six will stay here until I get the facts straight. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Team JNPR and WB of RWBY replied with a sigh.

"Good. Now, you three follow me," Ms. Goodwitch walked towards her borrowed classroom.

Inside the classroom,

"For the last time, I wasn't my fault. It may have happened but I didn't do it on purpose."

"What? You want some more, brat? Didn't you already learn your lesson?"

"What was I suppose to learn from the flying fists and crashing tables? That you're a monstrous powerhouse?"

"You want a go at this, come get some."

"Not on your life, top-heavy."

"What did you call me, scrawny?"

"That's quite enough, you too."

Entering the room with three student's in tow, Ms. Goodwitch puts an end to the blonde's squabbling. Standing before them, she made her three witnesses confess their side of the story. Ms. Goodwitch listened intently to Ms. Strega as she recounted her meeting with the bullies and how Aureus defended her and was hurt back because of it. Ending her side, Ruby continued on how Yang's hair was hit by a flying pastry and deduced that Aureus was the cause, thereby releasing her anger on the boy in a split second. Laus finished the discussion by giving a detailed description on how both Aureus and Yang fell for each other's provocation and started a food-throwing frenzy which led to the present result.

Both blondes, who had been listening and bickering since the beginning, were silent by the end of the discussion and were both staring at the floor in regret. Ms. Goodwitch listened quietly until the end and finally spoke after Laus ended his side.

"Basically, Mr. Rex defended Ms. Strega, but, inadvertently, provoked Ms. Xiao Long's anger by getting her hair soiled. However, this still does not explain why it had to end with the destruction of the mess hall."

The room fell silent for a moment with everyone aside from Ms. Goodwitch facing their feet.

"That would be my fault, Ms. Goodwitch." Aureus raised his head.

"And how, Mr. Rex, would it be your fault?" Questioned Ms. Goodwitch.

"Uh... How do I explain this?" Aureus scratched his head. "I wanted to see how strong the students of this school were so I challenged them to a food fight." Aureus replied with a smile.

"?"

"?"

"..."

"?"

Everyone looked with surprised faces, while Laus kept a straight face, expecting such an answer from his friend. The room remained silent as Ms. Goodwitch processed his reason. As if to respond to his answer, the temperature dropped several degrees. But before the teacher could release her anger,

"And were you disappointed?"

A new voice sounded across the room. A middle-aged man with dishevelled gray hair, clad in dark green unzipped suit and a green scarf, stood at the doorway while sipping on a mug of coffee.

Aureus paused in surprise for a moment but replied with a smile.

"Nope!"

"Then, you will surely enjoy your stay in Beacon, young man. That is, if you could pass the Initiation, of course." Ozpin said with a grin.

"I will, sir!" Aureus never stopped smiling like an idiot.

"Very well then, young man. Glynda, could I talk to you for a minute." The headmaster beckoned his colleague.

The two professors talked (bickered in Glynda's case) and after a while, Ms. Goodwitch returned to the corridor with two blondes, a red hood, a mouse-girl and a half-knight trailing behind. Facing Teams JNPR and RWBY in the hallway, she gives her verdict.

"As the headmaster is lenient when it comes to punishment, you first years are to be given a warning concerning this matter."

Aureus gave Laus a 'Nailed-it' look to which the big guy sighs in dejection.

"However," the two teams gulped, "you second years are to take responsibility for your actions and will be confined in your rooms for several days. Mr. Arc, Ms. Rose, please do learn to control your teammates."

The team leaders could only nod in submission.

"And I mean 'confinement'. No one will be allowed outside of their team's dorms except during meal times and we will be placing restrictions on your scroll privileges."

"But–" Blake tried.

"There will be no 'buts' on this matter, am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," The teams replied.

"Good. Now run along."

As the blonde professor bids them away, the gang starts walking back to their dorm, leaving Jeane and the other first years in the hall. Giving her brother a 'see-you-later', Jeane turns to face Fran.

"So... What did you think of our first day in Beacon?" Jeane asked with beaming eyes.

"... I... have no idea what to say," answered the hooded girl.

"I do," Aureus joined in. "I LOVE it here. The people here are the coolest! Even the teachers!"

"I have to ask, though. Was starting a destroying the hall really necessary?" Jeane asked the boy while smiling awkwardly.

"I wasn't really planning to, but, hey, it was fun. I won't complain about punishments, though," replied the golden-haired youth.

"Haaah," sighed Laus, with arms crossed. "Why do you always jump the gun like that?"

"Heheh. Cuz' I'm awesome?!" joked Aureus.

Laus sighed again before facing the girls.

"Sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Glaus Miles. Please call me Laus. This idiot here is my friend, Aureus Rex. I apologize on his behalf for the trouble he's caused."

"Oh, no worries. I'm Jeane. This is Fran." Fran raised her hand in confirmation. "We met on the ship with the first batch of early arrivals."

"Um..." A certain mouse girl lifted her hand. "My name's Shei. Shei Strega. Mr. Rex saved me from bullies before the fight started."

"Oh did he now?" Responded Jeane with a curious look in her eye.

Nodding her head, Shei continued. "It was also my fault that he got in trouble with the second years–"

"You don't need to worry about it. I had fun playing with our seniors any way," interrupted Aureus. "Also, you can call me Reus."

Aureus' sudden interruption gave Shei a jolt but his invitation to call him by his first name and use a shortened form of it wasn't under the 'things-to-be-prepared-for' list. This only caused her to blush and timidly hide her face behind her long, mousy hair.

Spotting the brown-head's embarrassment, Jeane lets out a giggle before asking the others.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"We were going to have our lunch and go back to the dorms," replied Laus.

"Eeeh?! Weren't we going to tour the campus?" whined the golden.

"Better avoid getting into trouble again, seeing as you were just given a warning," answered the grey.

Giggling at the exchange, Jeane turns to Shei. The mouse-girl noticed the blonde's gaze and timidly answered.

"I was going to the school's main office for a while before going back to the dorms."

"Why's that?" asked Fran.

"I was going to turn this in to lost-and-found." Pulling out a black-covered book, Shei handed it to Jeane for inspection.

Opening the covers and giving the paperback a quick skim, Jeane's eyes glistened with dark intentions for a moment. Closing the book, she faces Shei.

"I'll return it for you. It just so happens that I met the owner already," Jeane says, with hidden intent. Fran eyed her companion with a curious gaze.

"Is it alright if I come with you? I want to apologize to the owner for getting it dirty." Shei responded with pleading eyes.

"Of course. Then, we'll be going now. It was nice meeting you two." Jeane said as she walked down the corridor.

"Same here. Hope we see each other again!" shouted Aureus.

"...Hm..."

"What's up?" Reus faced Laus.

"No. It's nothing."

Walking in the opposite direction as the girls, Laus and Reus head towards their dorm.

In Team RWBY's room, a certain catgirl was behaving strangely. Unlike the normally calm and composed Blake, the current one was walking in circles in the center of their room. The recent change in their silent friend got their young leader worried.

"Uh... Blake? What are you doing?" Ruby asked.

"Um... nothing?"

"Then why are you chasing your tail?" joked Yang.

"I'm not chasing anything. I'm just... stretching my legs."

"You've already burned the dorm's total length of hallways into the carpet." Weiss observed.

Noticing her handiwork on the surface of their room's carpet, Blake returned to sit on her bed. But instead of calming down, she began to nervously play with her fingers, all the while, giving her team weird looks.

"Ok. What's this about?" Yang got off her bunk and sat beside the tense cat. "Sun didn't reply to your letter yet?"

"Huh? No, he did. It's just..." stammered the anxious kitty.

"Just..?" Yang gave her partner all-knowing looks. Realizing her friend's misconceptions, Blake corrected them.

"It's not about that, ok. It's..."

"Wait. Where's your book?"

All eyes fell on the Ice Queen, who was, oddly, far more observant than the rest of them expected.

"What? She always carries at least one book with her." To make a point, Weiss stated the obvious.

Blake couldn't hide that fact from her teammates, especially since they had lived with each other for nearly a year now. The Faunus girl regularly immersed herself in reading and it was rare for her to NOT read during her free time.

"The last I saw her reading was when we went to eat lunch at the mess hall," added Ruby.

Judging by their teammate's silence, Ruby had hit the mark.

"Don't tell me you lost your smut book during the food fight," sighed the heiress.

"IT'S NOT SMUT! IT'S A WORK OF ART! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" contradicted the depressed feline.

"Uh... What is smut?" asked little red.

"Not until you're older," replied elder sister.

A knock sounded on their door.

"Who is it?" Team leader Ruby called out as she approached the door.

"A delivery for one Ninja Cat," a female voice answered from behind the door.

"Uh... What's being delivered?" Ruby asked while giving Blake a curious look.

"A sensual piece of art," replied the voice, leaving Ruby even more curious. However, just as the little red hood was about to open the door, a certain black-haired girl shot towards the doorway without warning, sending the reaper flying.

Standing in front of Blake, Jeane Arc was wearing her usual smile. A Faunus mouse-girl and tall a green-hooded lass stood behind her, both were red in the face.

"You must be Blake, am I right?"

"Uh yeah?!" The cat said nervously.

"Here is your SPECIAL delivery," Jeane spoke, handing out Blake's black book.

"Uh..." Blake's gaze moved to the blushing duo.

"Oh, don't worry about them. But I must say," Jeane continued. "Meeting one of Perilana's fans is a very rare opportunity."

Blake paused at the statement before giving Jeane a wide-eyed glance.

"You know 'Sweeping Perils'?"

"More than just 'know her'. She's my sister," Jeane replies with a smile to which Blake responds with an unusual silent scream.

"Please! Could you please introduce me to her?!" Blake was begging.

Giggling, Jeane took the amber-eyed girls hands. "Of course. I do have a condition, though."

"Anything," Blake replies.

At her answer, Jeane's devilish smile materializes, exposing her facade. Behind her, Shei continues to twiddle her fingers, muttering '... so they have that use as well... But my ears are sensitive... so...' Fran, on the other hand, noticed her companion's face light up with an eerie feel and felt a shiver down her spine.

"Then...," Jeane resumes. "Could you tell me everything about the people around my brother since he entered Beacon," Jeane's ice-blue eyes glowed with death. "Especially about a particular Red?"

A few days later, Teams RWBY and JNPR were finally freed from their temporary house arrest. To celebrate, they decided on having breakfast in the mess hall (without destroying it). As per usual, both teams sat opposite each other at the long table, Yang, Ruby, Weiss and Blake on one side, Ren, Nora, Pyrrha and Jaune on the other.

Besides Jeane and Fran, joining them were three first years they met during the incident. Joining Team JNPR's side, Aureus was happily chatting with Ren about Aura control while Laus quietly sat beside him, eating French toast. To the others, it seemed odd for the usually silent guy to be actively taking part in a conversation, but Ren didn't seem to mind getting to know new people, especially those who were experimenting on how to use their Aura in more practical forms other than defensive uses. This left Nora to play around with her food, cutting up pancakes in the shape of an Ursa and then gobbling it up, following her taking a sip from the syrup jar. The scene made for some laughs across the table until Yang and Ruby started throwing pancakes like a discus for Nora to fetch with her mouth, forcing Ren to tie Nora to her seat and Weiss to confiscate all of their pancakes.

On the other end of the table, Shei sat between Fran and Blake. The mousy girl was having a silent discussion with the cat in black about certain literature that they couldn't allow a certain red hood to overhear. Fran, still wearing her hood and leather vest, didn't take part in the conversation between the two, but, instead, chose to observe the three people opposite her as she peacefully ate her bacon and eggs.

"Jeane, could you please stop clinging so much?"

"But it's been so long since the last time bro ate breakfast with me. At least spoil me for a while."

"Could you at least do it when we're NOT in the cafeteria?"

"Feed me first."

"(Sigh) Fine say 'ahh'."

"Aaahhhnn. Mmm."

"Is it good?"

"(Giggle) Very."

"Now can you get off? I can't eat like this."

"Jaune let me help. Here, say 'ahh'."

"Aaaahh. Mmm. (swallow) Thanks, Pyr. Maple syrup topped with bananas. Delicious"

"No fair, Bro! feed me."

The spoiled-sister-being-fed-by-brother scenario repeated itself as such, leaving Pyrrha's feed-my-boyfriend-and-reward-my-efforts-with-a-kiss plan in tatters. Jeane persistently (and, rather, childishly) clung to her twin's left arm while asking for more hand-feeding. Jaune was hiding his embarrassment while trying to pry his sister off his arm. Pyrrha tried to salvage her plan by feeding Jaune a few bites of bacon off her fork (hooray for indirect kisses), to which the ice-eyed blonde responds with tightening her grip.

"Jeane, for the last time, I can't eat with you clinging on my arm like that."

"I'll let go only if you promise to bake me my favorite pancakes for after Initiation."

"(Sigh) Fiiiine. Topped with blueberries and cherry syrup, right?"

"You know me well, bro."

With that, Jeane gives her twin a kiss on the cheek, causing the redhead Spartan to nearly drop her fork and yank her Knight from the clutches of the ice-blue eyed witch. The problem was not that he was kissed, but how dangerously close it was to his lips, a territory that even the Champion of Mistral had yet to conquer. Jaune, shocked by his sister's unexpected show of affection, nearly jumped from his seat.

"Jeane, how many times have I told you to stop doing that!?"

"What's wrong? We're siblings so it's normal anyway."

"It's because we're siblings that you should stop!"

"Jeane, I agree. Even though you two may be siblings, such things aren't considered normal."

"Oh come now, Pyrrha. You don't have to be mad about it too," replied Jeane.

(Said in a low mocking tone) "After all, surely you've already done at least this much."

The dejected look Pyrrha gave her partner's twin seemed to satisfy the ice-blue witch that she finally let go of her brother's arm.

"Sorry about that, Pyrrha. Here say 'ahh'." Jaune tried to console the redhead.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry anymore," replied the Spartan with a pouty face.

"Oh come on, please. For me," Jaune was practically beginning to beg.

The Spartan tried to remain strong. She knew she couldn't show a defeated face to her 'enemy', but there was no way she could deny her Knight's deep, blue, puppy-dog eyes. Melting like butter, she took her partner (/boyfriend)'s fork in her mouth, tasting his strawberry-topped pancakes with caramel syrup on her taste buds. Flushing as red as her hair, Pyrrha enjoyed his favorite breakfast a little too much as she received the concerned looks of her teammates as well those opposite them.

Steam was blowing out of her ears as she excused herself and left the table first. Responding to his partner (/girlfriend)'s distress, Jaune soon follows. Jeane stays behind, watching the two as they make their exit. Her cheerful expression turned a bit melancholic before resuming its usual polite smile.

Though no one else at the table noticed, Fran kept her vigilant watch over her new friend. Finally noticing her gaze, Jeane tried to play it off by starting a conversation with the green hood.

"Say, Fran, have you heard that Initiation tomorrow is done in pairs?"

"I heard. From what the others say, students are forced into pairs at the start of Initiation. After the Initiation, teams are formed by combining pairs that work well together."

"That isn't much to go by on what happens during the test. Isn't anyone allowed to give us more details on what they would make us do during Initiation?" Jeane turned this question to Team RWBY and NR (as J and P left early).

"Sorry, but Ms. Goodwitch ordered us not to tell anyone," answered Ruby. "Besides, seeing you beat Cardin Winchester with a single hit, you could pass Initiation easily."

"Whoa there, sister. You mean to tell me that Arc's twin here managed to kick the big bad bully's butt in an official match?" asked the brawler in disbelief.

"Yeeeep. Ms Goodwitch served as the ref," answered little red. "A lot of people saw it from the stands, too. It was amazing how she ended it the moment it started. Too bad it couldn't have drawn out a bit longer."

"Eheheheh. It was nothing, actually." Jeane denied her accomplishment.

"You said you took the combat exam for this school year, didn't you?" asked Weiss. "Which combat school did you go to before Beacon?"

"I was actually home-schooled."

"For how long?" continued the heiress.

"About five months or so before entering Beacon?"

The people sitting at the table all remained silent and stared at the girl in the hoodie.

"What were you doing before being home-schooled?" inquired Aureus, a serious look plastered on his face.

"I... was bedridden," answered Jeane meekly.

"And you managed to pass for a student of Beacon with just five months of training," continued Aureus. "That's impossible, no matter how you look at it. For what reason did you come to this school, if I may ask?"

"I came here to follow my brother." Jeane's answer was swift and true.

Everyone remained silent, leaving Aureus to his dejected response.

"Then, you should give up now and go back home."

 _ **Author's Notes: MERRY CHRISTMAS XD! As a special, I made this chapter twice as long as the previous ones. It was also my first attempt at a fight-scene and a warzone-scene. Honestly, I had no idea what I was thinking when I decided to repeat the scene from Jaundice with Cardin and Velvet with a little fanmade heroism. Since it is my first attempt, please review it (with feelings).**_

 _ **I also decided to take a nose dive and give the Jeane-vs-Pyrrha a try. Romance was in the description so I didn't want to disappoint. Again, it's a first for me, so review it if you want improvement. On another note, I wanted to add a little suspense before publishing the Initiation chapter so I time skipped to the day before Initiation while adding a little cliffhanger bomb at the end. I'll try to update by New Year's Eve so please put up with me for a week as I work my brain off. Thanks again! XD**_


	5. Chapter 4: Different Kinds of Beginnings

In a corridor heading towards the dorms, a certain blonde was chasing after his redheaded partner.

"Pyrrha! Wait up!"

"..."

"Pyrrha."

"..."

"Please, wait up!"

The Spartan slowly comes to a halt in the middle of the hallway just outside of their dorm room.

"... You didn't have to come after me, Jaune," Turning to face the Knight, she timidly says. "I'm fine."

"Says the girl who kept ignoring me since walking out of the hall. You don't look fine to me."

Giving his girlfriend a worried face, Jaune places a hand on her shoulder and uses the other to gently caress the Spartan's cheek. His rough hands gently rubbing against the redhead's soft skin, he continues.

"I may have been dense about your feelings before, but that doesn't mean I don't feel anything when I see you upset. So please tell me, what's wrong?"

"Well... It's... It is a bit silly," stammered the redhead.

Slowly pulling her into an embrace, the blonde replies, "Tell me anyway."

Blushing for a moment, Pyrrha gathers her courage and slowly whispers to his ear, "We've been dating for over half a year now, but,"

The champion blushed feverishly before continuing. "We haven't had our first kiss yet so..."

Turning red up to his ears, Jaune understood his partner's plight. Seeing Jeane's actions back at the mess hall and Pyrrha's behaviour in response to it, Jaune felt a guilty stab in his heart. Giving his partner a quick look, she was slowly growing even redder than her hair. She wasn't wearing her usual bronze circlet, leaving her beautiful flaming-red hair cascading over the sides of her face. Using his hand, he slowly combed back her hair, revealing a pair of vivid green emeralds that seemed a bit red at the corners. Wiping a tear that slid down her cheek with his thumb, he gently brought his lips close to hers.

As the light of a nearby window bathed the two in a brilliant shade of bronze, the two remained intertwined in each other's embrace.

After a few seconds, the Knight considered pulling away, but, to his surprise, his partner wouldn't let him break their embrace. Taking it as a challenge, he brought his girlfriend closer and counterattacked, now involving a little tongue. The Spartan was surprised at the introduction of the new weapon but gladly accepted. She was now pulling the Knight in a tighter embrace while tenderly caressing the back of his head, sending electricity tingling down his spine.

The two would have continued if not for their need to breathe. Breaking free from their tight link, a thin trail of saliva formed a bridge connecting their lips. They were burning as red as can be. Giving him a smile, Pyrrha lands a smack on Jaune's lips one more time before releasing her hold on the Knight.

"Wow..." said the dazed Knight. "That's something I'd definitely want to do again."

Pyrrha gave him a playful slap on the chest as she giggled, similarly embarrassed.

"Could you promise me something?" asked Pyrrha.

"What is it?"

"No, nevermind. It's nothing."

"Pyrrha, if we're going to make this work, you're gonna have to tell me," Jaune held her hands in his own. His grip was firm but gentle.

After heaving a sigh, she answered, "Then no matter what happens, at least let me stay your number one."

Jaune smiled and replied, "You've always been my number one, friend, partner, and girlfriend. And that's never going to change."

His answer turned the Spartan into a brighter shade of red than ever before, earning him another peck on the lips and a tight embrace.

Meanwhile, back at the mess hall, two blondes were having a stare down. The taller one's reddish brown eyes seemed to emanate pity and disappointment, while the shorter blonde's ice-blue ones radiated hostility and disbelief.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Jeane, all politeness gone from her voice.

"It means what it means," answered Aureus. "Quit this school and go back home."

"I refuse."

"..."

"Why would you tell me to quit? Why would you tell me to give up now?"

Aureus' sad gaze never left Jeane's ice-blue eyes. Glaring back at the girl, the dark-skinned boy answered,

"Because your resolve is weak."

"Weak?!"

"Yeah."

"...Just how is it weak?"

"..."

"Answer me."

"..."

"ANSWER ME!"

"..."

Every face in the cafeteria turned in their direction as Jeane's voice echoed across the hall.

Aureus continued to remain silent; his gaze never wavered.

"Since you have nothing to say, I have no reason to listen."

Jeane walked past Aureus in the direction of the door. After passing him, she hears his voice, audible enough for only their table to hear.

"If something were to happen to your brother while you're on a mission," Aureus posed a question. "What would you do?"

"..."

Jeane remained frozen on the spot, her expression, hidden by her blonde locks.

"If you were ordered to continue the mission," Aureus continued. "And on your way, you receive the news that your brother was missing, what would you do?"

"...I...I'd finish the mission," Jeane answered softly, her voice trembling.

"And then what?"

"...I...I'd look for him..."

"Even if you know it to be hopeless?"

"... What are you saying?"

"I'm saying 'Would you still go looking for him, even if it meant getting killed?'" Aureus' tone grew dark.

"... Of course, I would. It wouldn't matter to me if it was dangerous. Even if I have to do it alone, I would still look for him."

"You don't care about yourself? Is that it?"

"What I do doesn't concern you."

Jeane then continues to walk out of the hall. As she turns the corner, Aureus heaves a sigh, saying,

"It's not like I'm doing it for you."

Taking his leave, Aureus tells Laus to go on ahead without him. Exiting the mess hall, he turns and vanishes in the opposite direction of Jeane. Laus, who had remained silent throughout the entire incident, was left to apologize to the two teams about his friend's rudeness.

"I'm really sorry about my friend's behaviour today."

"No, there's no need to say sorry," replied a golden brawler. "Though..."

"?"

"I was wonderin'. Did something happen in the past that he had to say all those things?"

Laus remained silent at the brawler's inquiry.

"Yang, you shouldn't pry into other people's lives," Weiss suddenly scolded the blonde bombshell.

"Yeah, I know," Yang added before turning silent. "You don't have to answer. That was just me thinking out loud,"

As their silence continued, the other students started to empty the hall. The group would've remained quiet for a little longer if the intercom didn't suddenly buzz with an announcement.

"Would all first year students proceed to the amphitheatre. Again, all first year students proceed to the amphitheatre immediately."

Announcing the start of orientation for the first years, Glynda Goodwitch's voice echoed throughout the mess hall. The remaining first years had already begun to stand from their seats and advance towards the exit.

"We should go now," Laus stood from his seat, taking his tray with him. "I'll find Aureus. He's probably wandering around again."

"Then, I will look for Jeane as well," Fran stood from her seat as well.

"Uh... I'll come with you," Shei followed suit.

"Until we meet again, Teams RWBY and JNPR," bowing his head a little, Laus follows his fellow first years. Bidding the other two, they separate at the mess hall's entryway.

Left with nothing else to do until dinnertime, Blake, Weiss, Ruby, Yang, Ren and Nora all remained quiet in their respective seats. The silence, however, was inevitably broken by a pouting Nora.

"I hope they make up soon. If they are placed in the same team, they'd need to get along. Right, Ren?"

"Yes, Nora. But, sadly, teammates are on a different scale when compared to friends. And right now, those two aren't exactly what you'd call strangers anymore."

"But they can still be friends, right?" asked the Valkyrie.

"Nora, when friends fight, they can forgive each other," Weiss answered the orange-haired girl. "But when complete strangers start to argue, the problem gets even more complicated than that, especially if it involves their past or current way of thinking."

"I could understand how Aureus feels, though."

Surprisingly, it was Yang who stated her thoughts.

"Think about it for a sec. A bedridden girl chooses to join Beacon, one of the highest ranking combat schools in Remnant, and manages to do it with just a few months worth of training."

"But wouldn't that make her a genius?" asked Ruby.

"Being a genius only defines how smart one person can be, Ruby. But even prodigies have physical limits," answered Blake.

"We've been training our entire lives to pass the exam, but one girl was able to get in with just five months worth of combat training, you'd have to be crazy to just believe that," Yang continued.

"Prodigy or not, it's not in our place to interfere. We may be their seniors for now, but that doesn't give us the right to get in the way of their life."

Weiss' statement ended the conversation then and there.

In the amphitheatre, a certain golden-haired boy, wearing a brown leather vest trimmed in gold with a crimson sash on his waist, was standing in the west-most corner, trying not to attract attention like he usually did. He leaned his back on the wall as he waited for the orientation to begin. Approaching his spot, a gray-eyed youth in a gray shirt and jeans waved in his direction. Laus moved towards his friend while gently brushing aside other first years.

"Finally found me," Aureus made one of his childish smiles again. "Here I thought you got lost on your way here."

"And you," Laus retorted. "Surprisingly, you got here before me without getting lost."

"Heheheh," chuckled the golden-haired youth. He smiled once more before returning to his original gloomy expression.

"Still thinking about her?" Laus asked.

"I don't care about that kid," answered Aureus.

"I wasn't talking about Arc, Reus. I asked if you were still thinking about–"

"DON'T say it." Reus' slight change in tone caused a slight stir with the surrounding students.

"...I see. You still haven't gotten over it, haven't you?"

Reus' silence served as his answer. Laus just shrugged, indicating that he wouldn't pursue the topic any further.

Having lost the topic of their conversation, Laus decided to survey the area. With a centralized are serving as the stage, the seats were raised to a considerable height behind their position. Moving his gaze to the east side of the amphitheatre, he spotted three familiar figures, one of which was staring in his direction. Making eye contact, they gave each other a small nod, small enough to not be noticed by their companions, and moved to hide each other from their respective viewpoints.

Laus wasn't a telepathic nor was he a mind reader. But judging from the freckled girl's facial expression, it was in their best interest that the two blondes didn't notice each other for a while. Coming up with this mutual understanding, the two stayed silent until the lights dimmed and the teachers made their appearance. Taking the lead was a teacher they had met during the incident. Professor Ozpin walked towards the microphone at the center of the stage. In his left hand, he held a cane that stood as tall as his waist. For today, his usual mug of coffee with the Beacon crest was absent.

"To those of you who have just arrived, welcome. And to those who have stayed with us for nearly the entire week, we apologize for the wait. I'll keep this speech simple then. For those of you who have come to this school to follow your dreams of becoming a huntsman or huntress, we welcome you to our doorstep and guarantee that we, as professional huntsmen and huntresses, will teach you all there is to know about being one of the best."

Ozpin's tone turned a little darker.

"However, for those of you, that have different motives for enrolling in Beacon, I ask that you keep this in mind. Our school can only give you knowledge, awareness, and during your stay here in Beacon, you must understand that awareness is not purpose. And that not having a true sense of purpose will only be disadvantageous, both for you and the rest of your fellow classmates. While you are enrolled in this school, you must remember: A single member's problem could become their team's weakness. Therefore, I urge you all to know where you stand and understand where you're heading."

Finishing his speech, the headmaster walks toward the entrance, leaving the students in the care of Ms. Goodwitch. Following the blonde teacher's instructions, the first years moved to the ballroom, where their things were supposedly moved by the staff. Under the direction of the teacher, all first years would sleep for one night at the ballroom before taking part in Initiation the very next day.

Leading her two companions as far away from Laus and Reus as possible, Fran brought Jeane and Shei near the corner under the stairway. Deciding that they were completely hidden from the two boys from their position, Fran started laying out her sleeping bag. Following her example, Shei and Jeane did the same.

The blonde wasn't as depressed as when they found her in the dorm. She was back to her gracious smiles. But once in a while, her expression would absentmindedly shift to a gloomier look. Although Fran was concerned, she decided to stay quiet and not poke her nose into it.

Just as the trio were preparing for bed, a few of their neighbours were having a little dispute.

"Excuse me," a boy with a beret calmly said. "But you're stepping on my bag."

"Well? Move it," a feisty fox-like Faunus replied. "I got here first."

"..."

"What? Aren'tcha movin'?"

"No," replied the boy in a calm manner.

"Haaah?"

"The mere fact that my sleeping bag had already been set up before you stepped on it proves that I was here first," calmly stated the boy. "So could you please move. You're causing trouble for other people."

"No friggin way," replied the fox, crossing her arms while her tail wagged behind her in frustration.

"(Sigh) Then, let's make a compromise. Since neither of us will move, we'll share the spot. I'll take a half, you take the other."

"Eeeehh?" the fox whined. "Why the hell would I share it with a complete stranger? And why only half?"

"... Don't you want to at least sleep?" questioned the boy as he scratched the back of his brown head.

The bickering fox and bereted boy continued as such beside the trio, leaving Fran unable to shut her eyes. Keeping her hood on, she closes up her sleeping bag tightly and rolls over to face Jeane who had already fallen asleep. Upon closer inspection, she found tears streaming down her blonde friend's cheeks.

Looking over to see Shei, who was already sleeping snugly in her bag, she spots both of their hands locked, mostly Jeane gripping on to Shei's. Faintly smiling, she shuts her eyes while trying to drown out the sound the continued bickering of the two behind her and of a familiar clicking of heels.

Aureus had already fallen asleep. Used to sleeping immediately after lying his head down, the golden-haired youth snored away under his covers, without a care for his position. His arms were sprawled out while his legs in the shape of a four. Laus sat beside him, typing a message in his scroll. Just as he finished sending it, two figures approached him.

"Is this spot taken?"

Gesturing over to the corner beside Laus, a beautiful girl with long black hair tied to a tail over her right shoulder spoke to him in a calm voice. What was catching about her was not her height, but rather her two eye colors, the left glowed red while the right shone blue. Her attire consisted of a yellow robe with red sleeves tied by a red sash with black running pants and yellow-laced black running shoes.

Shaking his head in response, Laus moved to allow the heterochromic girl to set her things down. Following behind her, a lean boy with short green hair settled in the small corner beside his companion. Like the girl, he wore similar garments, dark green and brown, but instead of running pants, he wore jeans ripped at the knees and black sneakers. He didn't talk. Instead, he gave Laus a quick bow before taking his seat beside the girl.

"Is it really alright letting us take this spot?" asked the stranger.

"Please do. I don't mind," replied Laus.

"We are grateful." The girl and her companion both kneeled and bowed in appreciation, leaving Laus a little baffled in the abrupt cultural difference of expressing gratitude.

As they continued settling down beside Laus, he surveyed the room once more. The lights had been shut off, leaving the shattered moon's radiance to illuminate the ballroom with an eerie light. Across the hall, two people were being dragged out by Ms. Goodwitch. One of them, wearing a beret and a duffle coat, followed quietly. The other was literally dragged by the collar of her pajamas by the blonde teacher.

As he watched the sight unfold, Laus spotted the corner of the staircase where the trio disappeared to. Seeing as no one was stirring, he silently understood that Fran and the others had already gone to sleep. Nestling himself under his covers, Laus shuts his eyes in preparation for the coming day.

The following day, Fran woke up to find Jeane's bed empty. Looking around, the blonde was nowhere in the hall. Shei, who was already up, noticed the hooded girl's searching gaze and, after greeting her, quickly answered her questioning eyes.

"She went to get breakfast," Shei gave her friend a worried smile.

"We should go too," Fran got up and started to fix her bed.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?" Shei asked her softly.

Answering with a small nod, Fran continued to fix her things.

"Um... Can I ask why?" Shei suddenly asked.

"..."

"No. Nevermind–"

"She's a nice person," answered the green hood. "When I met her, I thought I could get along with her just fine. But I wasn't expecting her to be so nice."

Shei tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"It's not that we wouldn't get along," continued Fran with a smile. "It's just that I never expected her to be so kind to others. It's been a while since I'd met someone as nice as her. I just wanted to return the favor."

"I can see what you mean," Shei replied. "The first time I saw Jeane, I thought she would at least ignore me."

The two smiled and finished up their cleaning. Heading for the cafeteria in search of their friend, they continued to chat idly as they went. They find Jeane in the corridor leading to the mess hall. What they didn't expect was the person talking with her. Glynda Goodwitch was missing the usual scowl on her face. Instead, she was wearing a rare smile as she conversed with the Arc twin. Curious about this side of their usually-stern professor, the two approached the blonde duo.

"–she even ruined her last mission by deliberately delivering scraps she found more interesting instead of the mission's objective. (Sigh) Honestly, your sister was the smartest, but also one of the most ridiculous, student that ever entered this school."

Glynda's expression turned into a scowl as she reminisced about her past students.

"There were times when she only wanted to play pranks. She still tells us stories about the time you chased her all over the campus for changing the contents of your wardrobe to something a little more... daring," Jeane replied with an awkward smile at the memory.

"Back when I was a new teacher here, everyone made fun of me for my weapon being a riding crop," an evil smile crept up her face as she continued. "But when I became the head of the Disciplinary Committee, I made sure that that story would never be mentioned ever again. Tell me, Ms. Arc, does your sister tell that story often."

"Eheheheh..." Jeane laughed nervously. "...Regretfully..."

"And does she... like to share it with... just anyone?" Goodwitch's sentence was shrouded in an aura bathed with murderous intent.

"Eheh...Eheh..." Jeane continued her tense laughs, trembling as Glynda's aura enveloped the hall in a chilling atmosphere.

"Well, then I just might need to pay Perilana a visit soon."

Goodwitch's expression gave Jeane and the two approaching chills down their spine. After making her hidden announcement to severely punish the Arc twin's older sister, Glynda returned to her usual stern expression.

"Well then, I must be going. Are you sure you will participate, even without the rest of your equipment?"

"Yes, ma'am. I think I'll be able to manage just fine."

Jeane gave the teacher one more confident smile before Goodwitch left for good.

"Jeane," called out Shei with a nervous face. "...Um..."

The Faunus' nervous hesitation prompted Fran to ask.

"What were you two talking about so early in the morning?" Fran's curiosity inquired.

"How much did you hear?"

"Uh... Something about your sister ...making Professor Goodwitch... wear something inappropriate?" answered the mousy girl.

"Ahaha...ha... Could you please forget that part?" Jeane laughed nervously. "My sister has always been a troublemaker."

"Then what was 'participating without the rest of your equipment' about?" Fran continued.

"Ah... That? My sister accidentally sent Ms. Goodwitch... something else... rather than my shield." Jeane continued her awkward smile. "Since it won't get here in time, I'll need to pass the Initiation without it."

"Will you be alright without it?" Shei asked.

"I should be fine as long as I have 'Caerula Vitae'." Jeane answered her. "After all, it shouldn't take more than a day."

"That's not necessarily true," interjected Fran.

"What do you mean?"

"The teachers never said that Initiation would only take a day," answered Fran. "From what I've heard, Initiation is only done once you complete your assigned objective. There was nothing about there being a time limit."

"So... do you mean we might take more than a day... to complete the task?" Shei asked.

"Not sure," answered Fran vaguely.

"I guess it depends on the task then," replied Jeane.

"Then let's not worry about it."

Continuing their walk down the hallway towards the mess hall, the girls continued their idle talk. It was nothing except for a peaceful morning until the trio crossed paths with Laus and Aureus coming from the direction of the cafeteria.

The golden blonde was conversing with great exaggeration while the gray-eyed boy walked beside him, pretending to be listening. Laus gave a nod to the girls' direction. Fran and Shei returned the nod with their own. But the two blondes continued as they were, ignoring each other's presence.

Entering the hall, the three find Team JNPR and RWBY, sitting opposite each other as usual. After greeting the teams, Shei and Fran sat beside Blake on RWBY's side. Sitting beside Team JNPR, Jeane resumed her normal approach and clung to her brother like she did yesterday. The two Fauna started to converse quietly about topics which cannot be stated out loud while Jeane teased her brother to feed her.

"Brother, feed me."

"Jeane, how many times do I have to tell you to stop?"

"As many times as there are stars," answered the spoiled sister.

"So, are you guys ready for Initiation?" asked Ruby.

"Yes. I already organized my gear just this morning," eagerly answered Shei.

"I as well," followed Fran.

"My shield won't make it but I'm all set," Jeane smiled at the little reaper.

"Wait. What?" Jaune inquired. "Wasn't Sister Lana supposed to be done with it by yesterday?"

"...Yeah" Jeane made a nervous smile. "But she sent Ms. Goodwitch the wrong package."

"Oh dear god, what did she send?"

"...A... black leather...kinda revealing... domin–"

"NO. NOPE. Don't finish that sentence," Jaune took a deep breath. "On a scale of one to ten, how mad was Ms. Goodwitch?"

"... I'd say fifteen."

"She's doomed."

Team NPR watched in awe as the Arc twins prayed for their older sister's soul to rest in peace (if it survived the wrath of Glynda Goodwitch).

"Soooo, are you gonna be alright without your shield?" the little red butted in.

"I should be fine for the day," answered Jeane.

The group continued their leisure chatting as they ate. Yang livened up their conversation, or at least tried to, by dropping lame puns all over the place. The Faunas duo continued their secret fan meeting beyond earshot of the little red hood. Jeane continued her teasing while Pyrrha fed her partner/boyfriend, leaving Jaune in a little tug-of-war setting. When the time reached a good hour before the start of Initiation, the three first years bid their farewells and moved on to the locker rooms.

Due to the incident caused by Jeane on her first day, all of the first years had been required to store their equipment in designated lockers the moment they arrived at Beacon. Daily maintenance was permitted but taking out and using their gear required the permission of a staff member until they were assigned to their teams. Gearing up, the girls prepared themselves.

Jeane was now wearing her chest plate above her hoodie. Like Jaune, she opted to wear her most snug clothing underneath the light metal so as not to get uncomfortable during her battles. Her armor was similar to her brothers except being of a pale blue tint. Strapping her two shoulder guards, which were a bit longer than Jaune's, she proceeded to mount the layered hip guard on her waist, snapping them on to her belt. After securing the hips with a metal plate on top of her buckle, she then attached the shin guards over her jeans. Tying up her shoelaces, she fiddles for a while with her finger-less gloves before finishing up with her hair. Her head remained armorless. Her messy hair was still as messy as can be saved for the pony tail on the back. Tying it with her favorite black ribbon, she turns to face the other two who just finished same as her.

Fran never took of her hood, but she was now wearing a dark green, leather padded jacket over her camo-print hooded t-shirt. The pads covered her shoulders and elbows while the vest itself was zipped up to the collar. Her black short pants, made up of tight leather, ended above her knees. Her combat boots were strapped over dark olive green, knee-high socks. This left only her knees and face as the only skin being revealed of the girl as she finished strapping on two, fully-fingered gloves. Her outfit looked extremely tight on her slender figure as the getup seemed to accentuate her previously unnoticeable curves, especially the chest area.

Shei's clothing was a bit different. She wore a plain sage green sweater with a grayish-green scarf that covered her shoulders and neck, wrapped by two belts on her waist. One of the belts had three small pouches running on the right side of her hip. The other had a collapsed staff, covered in greenery and tipped with a dust crystal, mango yellow in color, same as her eyes, fastened on to her left hip. Her cedar brown pants were tightened at the knees with her knee-high, brownish-green, forest boots. Her long mousy hair was now asymmetrically split above her left eye. With a lock partially tied down the left side of her face, the rest flowed down her right, slightly covering the area above her right eye. Her mouse ears popped out on the top of her head as she finished combing her hair.

"So you use a staff, Shei?" asked Jeane.

"Yes... It was a gift from my father," detaching the collapsed staff from her belt, Shei activated her weapon. With a few clicking noises, the staff gradually extended its tip. Its full length was the same as her height, minus her ears. The mango yellow dust crystal glowed as she brought it forward in front of the two.

"He gave it to me the day I left for Beacon," she added, smiling as she softly held her weapon.

"I've never seen that type of dust crystal before," said Fran, eyeing the tip of the staff with curiosity.

"You're right. I've never seen one that glows this color," added Jeane. "Is it a rare type?"

"...It's not really rare," timidly answered Shei. "But it is manmade."

The two eyed the girl enquiringly in response.

"... My father likes working with dust. He made it for me to better use my semblance," Shei mumbled in reply. "And since I have problems dealing with fire and energy type dust crystals..."

"Hmmmm. So your weapon is basically dependant on that crystal?" asked Jeane.

".. Not necessarily. I can change what crystal's attached to it." Demonstrating, Shei removes the glowing dust crystal with a click, replacing it with a blue one she pulled from one of her pouches. She hands the glowing yellow gem to the two as they inspect it with astonished expressions. After handing it back, Shei snaps the lustrous stone back on the staff's socket, resounding with a little click.

"What about your weapon, Jeane?" asked the little mouse.

"Here," pulling the small rod out of her hoodie's pocket, she hands it to Shei who delicately takes it. It measured about as long as the girl's arm and was quite thick at one end. Covered in blue and gold details, it shone with a polished gleam.

"It's a little heavy," said Shei.

"Of course, it is," replied Jeane. "It's a two-part functional weapon."

Taking the rod back, Jeane holds the center with both hands, the thicker pointing towards her left. Turning both hands in opposite directions, the left clockwise while right went counter clockwise, the rod resounded with a snap. The thick end split in two and opened up to quickly extend a shiny metal blade. The razor edge lengthened itself from the rod's inner compartment, forming a longsword. The other end of the rod remained as is, leaving a two-handed grip as the hilt. The guard formed had split to form the Arc family crest of two golden crescent arcs, covered in blue details.

"Wow..." Shei was in awe. Fran remained quiet as she viewed the weapon.

Snapping the rod in reverse, the blade retracted with a loud snap. The guards closed and returned to its original position.

"Then, there's this," Standing back, Jeane repeats the steps while adding one more. Before the rotation completed, she immediately pulls the rod, extending the rod into a shaft. The thick end snapped open again but the blade that came out was much shorter than the longsword's. The shaft including the blade extended a head beyond Jeane's height. Its slender form looked so fragile it seemed to bend at the weight of the blade. The guard formed the Arc's crest but only part way. One of the crescents opened up, in the direction of the blade tip. The other opened down the shaft, opposite the tip.

"This is... 'Caerula Vitae'?" asked Shei.

"A sword that doubles as a spear," Fran examined her friend's readied weapon. "Impressive."

"This was made by my sister. Most of my family's weapons had been handcrafted to match the user's aura, the exception being my brother. For me, it is as light as a feather."

Jeane switched her weapon back to sword form and held the two-handed longsword in her left hand. To prove her point, she carefully handed it over to Fran, who had difficulty keeping it in one. Passing it to Shei, the little Faunus nearly dropped the sword while using both hands. Giving it back to its owner, Jeane restored her weapon to its compact form and returned it to her pocket.

"Being part of an amazing family has its perks," said Fran with an impressed smile.

"Yeah." Jeane said, smiling back. "But it's kind of a hassle when you have six overly-attached sisters, (especially since they can't stop clinging to brother)."

Jeane added the last part to herself while Fran retrieved the contents of her locker. Pulling out a black quiver, she straps the container on to her back with a leather belt, its mouth leaning behind her left shoulder. Just as she was finished, the intercom sounded.

"Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for Initiation. Again. Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

Professor Goodwitch's voice announced the end of their prep time. Closing up their lockers, the girls proceeded to head out to Beacon Cliffs. The locker room was empty now, except for two who were in the back corner.

"Are you ready for this?" A gray-armored knight lifted his silver-black-blue weapon, slinging it over his right shoulder.

"Of course, I am," replied his companion.

"You know, there's still time to pull out."

"And do what? Run back to Atlas before getting revenge? No freakin' way."

"You forget. It's not just about revenge anymore."

He gave his friend a concerned look, but the boy returned it with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah, yeah. It's about protectin' the world." Saying it rather sarcastically, the boy continued. "I get it. That's why we're here."

"Do you really?"

His friend's inquiry made the boy freeze in his seat. Giving his friend a cold look, he continued.

"Do you really want to get revenge or is this just some kind of game for you? To play around with until you forget your sister's–"

SLAM

In a flash the boy grabbed the armored knight by the chest plate and pinned him to the locker, sending a loud resounding crash through the locker room. The locker door was dented. The soldier's feet were elevated a few inches above the ground, but his callous expression remained the same.

"You think this is what she would want you to do with your life? To throw it away, searching pointlessly?"

His question was quiet, but his tone was ice cold. Grabbing his friend's wrist, he continued.

"You'd think your sister,–"

"DON'T SAY HER NAME!"

"–Genny, would want this?"

Trembling, the boy released his friend while his knees buckled. He sat there, kneeling while tears swept down his cheeks and his teeth gnashing in pain. Kneeling beside him, the knight rested a hand on his best friend's shoulder and whispered.

"Find something better than revenge. Don't waste your life on protecting the dead. Your sister wouldn't want her brother too rot away while thinking of her, now, would she?"

The dark-skinned boy wiped off his tears with his fingerless gloves. The knight, seeing his friend calm down, holds out his hand and lifts him up from the floor.

"...You really are a pain in the ass, you know that?" After a while, the boy remarked while smiling stupidly.

"Only doing what she would want me to do. Come on. Let's go."

Walking side-by-side, the two walked towards the door and down the empty hall.

"Hey."

"What?"

"That girl yesterday."

"What? You worried about her?"

"No, you idiot."

"Then what about her?"

"You think she'll be fine?"

"..."

"What are you smiling around for?"

"You are worried about her."

Slightly turning red, Reus snapped back.

"So what if I am?"

Smiling back at his self-conscious friend, Laus answered.

"You always end up feeling bad about. Why not talk to her?"

"..."

"What's the matter? Too shy since you lectured her?"

"I didn't mean to go that far."

"Then why not make it up to her?"

Reus remained silent.

"You don't have to do it now, you know? Just do something to make up for it later," Laus continued. "For now, let's focus on the task at hand."

"(Sigh) Alright then."

"... You really do feel bad about it. Don't you?"

"Aw just drop it already."

Reus continued to glare at the knight as they continued down the hallway.

At the top of Beacon Cliff, a group of over fifty stood tall against the raging wind that flew over the precipice. The frigid breeze could only increase the shivering of the nervous Initiates. Presiding over the students, Glynda Goodwitch's stern expression was rivalled only by the wind's temperature. With her riding crop holstered in her right boot, she held a large, expanded black scroll. Nonchalantly standing beside her, Professor Ozpin sipped his coffee from his Beacon-logo-printed mug. Both seemed unaffected by the cold as they appeared very calm.

Made to stand on gray plates with the Beacon crest emblazoned, all the first years faced the Emerald Forest with firm gazes. Laus had to separate from Aureus and was now standing between Shei and a beret-wearing boy. Aureus stood beside between Fran and a female monk who was calmly breathing with her mouth open and her eyes closed. To Fran's other side, Jeane stood facing Professor Ozpin with a straightforward gaze aimed at the teacher.

"All of you gathered here today have trained your abilities, mastered your skills. And all of it has turned each and every one of you into a warrior with great potential." Ozpin took a sip out of his mug before continuing. "However, it will be up to us to evaluate the fruits of your training within the Emerald Forest. Now before we begin, I ask those of you that may have any second thoughts about the Initiation to step forward now."

Silence was their response. All of the students stood firm in their respective plates.

"Very well. Ms. Goodwitch?"

As her name was called, Glynda Goodwitch steps forward, black scroll in hand.

"Now, to those of you who may be wondering, by the end of Initiation, each and every one of you will be assigned to a team of four. These teammates will be with you, starting today, until graduation. But before that, you will first need a partner as Initiation will be completed in pairs. Every pair must retrieve one relic located at the abandoned temple in the middle of the Forest and deliver it back here. It is preferable that you are partnered with someone you can cohesively work with."

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

The silence was broken as a few students started talking about the professor's statement.

"You all have come here, expecting to risk your lives." Ozpin continued, silencing the students. "The Forest is abundant with the Creatures of Grimm. Do not show any hesitation the moment you are launched from this cliff, unless you want to die."

His tone was dark as the shadows of the trees below, his expression as cold as the billowing winds.

"Our instructors will evaluate your actions and decisions for the duration of the Initiation, but they will not interfere no matter what may happen. Remember. Each pair need only take one relic and return to the top of the cliff. The duration won't matter as long as you survive. Now, are there any questions?"

Silence as a response.

"Good. Now, take your positions."

One by one, each student readied themselves, except for Shei who was currently shivering with the cold.

"Um... Sir... How exactly are we going to... be deployed into the Forest?" asked the shivering mouse.

The clicking started and the leftmost student was thrown into the air.

"The platforms that you are standing on will serve as a launch pad, flinging you in the direction of the Forest," responded the headmaster with a sip from his mug.

More clicking and yelling resounded as the students' launch continued.

"...I see..." timidly responded Shei. "... And how exactly are we supposed to ... survive the fall?"

A few more clicks could be heard from Shei's left.

"I leave that to your imagination," smiled the gray-haired teacher. "It's funny. I remember Ms. Arc's brother asking a similar question when he was launched."

"... What did you tell him?"

"I told him that he would need to use his 'own landing strategy'"

Click-Click to Shei's immediate left. The student previously standing there was now gone in a flash.

"Good luck to you, Ms. Shei-Noir Strega."

The petite mouse could only give Ozpin a look of surprise before she was vaulted in to the skies with speeds that she could never reach with her own power. Flailing her arms, she couldn't scream out her shock for fear of biting of her own tongue. Trying to calm herself, she shuts her eyes and slows her breathing. Shei tried spreading out her arms. Her descent felt like it was slowing down and now she felt like she was soaring through the sky. Opening her eyes, the view that opened itself to her was breathtaking. The trees that rushed beneath her were similar to grass while the lake itself resembled a puddle after a heavy rain. Shei had realized that she had opened her mouth in awe as she registered the scenery into her memories. She felt a thrill that she knew she might never feel again. Savoring the feelings her senses picked up, the little mouse smiled as she soared through the open sky.

A chill flew down her spine. Her Faunus instincts kicked in. Twitching her ears, she tried to get a bearing on the ones posing as a threat to her. However, the pressure of the air distorted her hearing. Left with no other option, she started looking around her. There was nothing to her right, but as she turned to her left, a dark claw obstructed her vision and everything went black.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES: HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. Thank you once again for putting up with my work. As it is New Year's Eve where I am, I wish to greet you all as well. As always, please review it with gusto. I need your help as well if I am to improve. If anyone has anything they wish for me to improve or has a particular RWBY fanfic request (romance, action, or dialogue), PM me or write it down as a review. Anonymous is fine too. A perfect work of art stems from a lifelong journey of mistakes. Thank you and please wait for the awaited Initiation.**_

 _ **NOTE: I may end up doing this part in two or three chapters, hopefully not four.**_

 _ **Anyway, thanks again and enjoy. XD**_


	6. Chapter 5: Rescue, Then Search

"STREGA!"

Glaus Miles' voice was lost in the wind as he flew at high speeds behind a giant Nevermore. He had just been flying behind the Faunus girl until the massive bird-type Grimm swooped in and grabbed her with its giant talons. Now clutching its prey, the beast started flapping its wings while heading north. Following close behind, Laus had drawn his weapon. Switching from its compact form, a black-gray conic lance extended out in front of him. It measured nearly twice his height from tip to guard and had several gaps running along its body. Its royal blue handle that measured the span of his shoulders had four configured controls hidden behind its cone-shaped guard, three triggers for the index, middle and ring finger respectively and a scroll mounted on the thumb grip. Pointing the lance directly behind him, he pulls the first of three triggers using his index finger.

BOOM

Releasing fiery sparks through the gaps, the loud sound of cannon fire could be heard for miles as the powerful recoil of the shot propelled him even faster through the air. Speeding up, he caught on to the swift Nevermore, soaring directly above it. Looking down on his target, he lifts the lance's tip angling it nearly forty-five degrees to both the midday sun above him and the horizon behind him. Rolling the scroll by half a turn, he pulled the first trigger again.

BOOOOM

The shot was twice as powerful, spouting a large amount of smoke from the fiery dust explosion used to propel him downward. Quickly somersaulting as he came down, he stabs the front half of the lance between the Nevermore's shoulder areas, causing the beast to screech loudly as it plummeted to earth. Remembering his goal, Laus pulls his weapon free. Using his free hand and weapon, he grasps on to the bird's feathers and stabs the lance, alternating the steps while resisting the gale force the winds from blowing him off. He continued to climb downward, moving towards the Nevermore's claws.

Getting to the bird's clutches, he finds the creature's grip to be still locked tight around Shei. The Faunus girl was currently unconscious. But there was another problem. With the creature's grip locked tight, there was no way for Laus to blow off the talons without harming Shei. His weapon was built for stabbing and high-powered explosions. It would be dangerous for him to use it here now. Running out of options, Laus tried to pull the talons apart, using his lance as a wedge.

Just as the Nevermore's lifeless carcass approached the edge of the lake, an arrow with a cable connected to its tail flew past Laus and stabbed the body of the giant bird. Climbing down from the grappled arrow, the hooded girl named Fran came into view. Grabbing on to the feather's Laus grasped one of her hands to pull her over. Slinging her compacted compound bow over her left shoulder, Fran examined the situation Shei was in. Taking a quick look down, she noticed that there were several hundred meters of air left between them and the lake water. Giving the knight a quick nod, she pulls out another arrow from her quiver. The shaft was the same length as her first arrow, the difference being the tip. It was a long thin blade with a serrated edge that eerily glowed green.

She gripped the area where the shaft joined the tip like a knife and slashed at the Nevermore's leg. After getting a deep enough cut, she searched for the tendons. Perceiving her plan, Laus plunges his hand into the wound a pulls out the first sinew he could touch. Cutting it with her bladed arrow, the two repeat the process as fast as they could until the grip on the little Faunus loosened up. With Laus' help, Fran pulls the claws open and retrieves Shei, jumping off immediately. Laus soon follows the two in their fall but notices that the speed of their descent was too fast.

BOOOOM

Using his lance, he speeds in the direction of the girls. Hearing the sound, Fran turns to see Laus mouthing the words 'hold on to her'. Pulling Shei in a tight embrace with her arms, Fran attempts to slow their descent by spreading the rest of her limbs. Laus reaches out with his armored left arm to cradle the girl's hooded head while using his right to point his weapon downwards. Rolling the scroll back a third of a turn, the knight pulls the second trigger.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

With its power significantly reduced, the lance produced a stream of consecutive shots, creating a continuous stream of smaller recoils that slowed their descent, but they were still moving too fast. Hiding his lance, Laus quickly deployed his other weapon. A large, gray oval tower shield covered in silver markings expanded from his left arm's gauntlet, enveloping the girls' backs. Using his empty right hand, he embraces the two and sends Aura flowing through both arms.

Surrounded in a grayish glow, the trio fall towards the water. Fran braces for the impact of their mass hitting the surface of the lake, however, it never came. Instead, the water seemed to explode around their landing site, momentarily causing a crater in the dark lagoon. As the water comes crashing down, Fran instinctively holds her breath while covering Shei's mouth and nostrils with her hands. Weak from falling down from the sky, she half expected to use her exhausted legs to propel themselves out of the water, but someone else had a different plan. Feeling an arm around her waist, she turns to see Laus Miles dragging them both to the surface before moving to the nearest shore. His hold was sturdy but he handled them as gently as he could.

Reaching the lake's edge, Laus helps Fran up and takes the Faunus girl from the soaked girl's arms. The two trudged towards the closest tree and settled down to rest first. Setting the small Fauns down on the bent tree's roots, Laus places a hand on her wrist to check for a pulse. Fran slowly moved towards them while unzipping her vest.

"She's alive. Her breathing's normal," Laus preformed a quick check. "So why is she still out?"

"It must be shock," the knight faced Fran, gray and tan eyes meet. "Being suddenly snatched from the sky, she couldn't have expected to see a Grimm so close just after launching."

"We all weren't. Nevermores usually flies solo when they reach a certain size," Laus replied to his new partner. "But you hardly ever see one fly so close to human civilization before."

"The headmaster said to expect Grimm the moment we launch. You think he expected them to be so close or do you think he was just warning us about the dangers of this forest?"

"Either way, it doesn't look good for us to be caught off guard, especially with Strega passed out as she is." Standing up, Laus shifts his gaze toward the forest's depths. "I'll scout the surrounding area. Could you stay and watch over her for a few minutes? Partner?"

He added the last word curiously. Looking at his broad back, Fran answered back while smiling.

"Got it. Be careful."

"Don't worry about me. You two just rest for a while," looking over his shoulder, he added as discreetly as he could. "Oh, and dry your ears while you're at it. You don't want to catch a cold out here."

Switching from shock to suspicion, Fran gave the knight a glare.

"How did you–"

"I don't care if you want to hide it, but try to remember that some people can tell just by feeling."

She was about to ask but was interrupted by Laus' statement. Waving his left hand back to the girl, he started his scouting mission. His gray gauntlet shimmered with droplets of lake water.

Left behind to guard Shei, Fran waited till he was gone before continuing to undress. Taking of her unzipped leather vest and laying it out on top of a rock, she began to work on a fire. Left with her drenched hooded shirt on, she felt the cold wind draft as it breezed down her back. The fire she made was small. Feeding it a few twigs she found around the tree, it grew a little warmer. Looking over at Shei, she too was as soaked as can be. Promising to apologize later, she strips the mouse girl down to her undergarments. Squeezing her vest dry, she drapes the little Faunus for the time being. Remembering her new partner's advice, she quickly took a look around her. When she was sure no one else other than the sleeping mouse was around, she removed her hooded t-shirt.

Popping out on top of her brown head, a pair of round, fluffy ears twitched as she stretched them from their hiding place. She gently rubs her ears, smoothing out her damp fur. Her sopping wet hair stuck to the back of her neck as she tried to straighten the locks that wandered to her face. Taking out a red-bladed arrow from her quiver, she stabs the tip into the fire, causing the small flame to grow. Setting her clothes down on the ground near the warmth of the hearth, she sat on a rock with her back to the blaze, wearing only her underwear and a sleeveless top. She pulls back her long dark-brown hair so as to let the heat dry it up.

Moving her hands back to her ears, she curses her own slipup. If she was more careful, the gray knight wouldn't have seen through her disguise. Pinching her own ears in shame, she failed to notice that her only company had awoken.

"... You've got...really cute ears..."

Startled, Fran nearly jumped for her bow placed beside the rest of her clothes. Noticing that it was only Shei who just regained consciousness, she calmed down and returned to her seat.

"... Why ...hide them?" Shei said with a quiet voice while sitting up. Her mango-yellow eyes reflected the fire's glow.

After remaining silent for a while, Fran answered.

"... Because people are afraid of me."

"?" Noticing the petite girl's confusion, she continued.

"A lot of people say that the Faunus are savages. Most of the hate comes from victims of the war, but some people are just superstitious. My family was treated a little harsher than most in the desert plains of Vacuo because of the second." Rubbing her furry ears, she continued.

"They called me and my family Ursa-spawn because we were born with features similar to Ursi. Treating us like monsters, they refused to even let us hunt near their grounds. Then, one time, some of them attacked us." As Fran's expression turned dark, Shei continued to listen, her hands holding the green vest against her chest.

"My dad was killed. Mom and I had to run away. We were taken in by dad's human friend in a village at the southern border. No one discriminated us there. A few years later, he and mom got married and I got a Dad Number 2."

Fran smiled at the memory while burying her face into her knees.

"And that was the last of my happiest memories before coming to Beacon."

"...Was?" asked Shei worriedly.

Raising her head, the midday sun's rays, permeating through the forest canopy, glistened in her tawny eyes.

"...That village that accepted us, my new dad, and Mom..."

Shei had noticed a tear sliding down her cheek.

"...They were... burned to the ground... by a cursed bear..."

Behind a tree, a single gray knight stood with his back to the bark. He returned to their temporary camp as quietly as he could, trying not to attract the attention of any wandering Grimm. He didn't expect to hear such a depressing story about his new partner so soon though. He understood that everyone had at least one or two demons in their life, but he also knew that it wasn't his place to pry. Feeling it insensitive to just jump out from behind his hiding spot, Laus decided to repeat his patrol of the surrounding area, unaware that both Faunus had heard yet chose to ignore him anyway.

After treading a little further into the forest on his second patrol, he noticed felt something strange. Someone's gaze was hovering on his back. It held no hostile intent but Laus felt something curious about it.

"Um, excuse me?"

Stopping his legs, he looked around for a while until his gaze met the branches of a nearby tree. The branch was currently occupied by a boy hanging by his lower torso on one of the branches. Pressing a black beret onto his brown-topped head, his leg seemed to be wedged into one of the tree's bisected limbs. A duffle bag dangled near the branches pinning the boy and what seemed to be a rod was stuck on the highest branch.

"Hi there. My name's Rudy. Rudy Evergreen. Could you please help me down?"

The boy's tone was polite yet his face was unmoving. He wasn't showing any fear neither was he embarrassed.

"Give me a minute," replied Laus.

Quickly searching for a foothold, the tall knight grabbed on to the lowest branch. He first made sure of its durability before resuming his climb with his foot wedged into the gaps of the trunk. The scaling took a few seconds and he was now standing on the same branch as the boy was stuck in. Examining the wedged area, Laus extends an arm to the boy. Rudy grabs on and is pulled to a sitting position on the branch.

"How's your leg?" Laus inspected the wedged limb but couldn't see any signs of damage as the bereted boy's leg didn't seem to be broken or soaked up in blood.

"My left tibia is slightly fractured, although my Aura seems to have healed the minor grazes to my right leg." The straight face he made as he spoke caused Laus to doubt his words. "I guess my strategy failed."

"Exactly how were you planning to land?" The knight made a dubious expression.

"I thought I could use the tree branches to break my fall," the boy answered. "But it seems I miscalculated their density."

"Can you move?"

"If I can make a splint, yes." Rudy looked around for a moment. "We could make one from this branch pinning my leg and the vines here and there."

"Alright. Hold on."

Laus drew his lance and slipped the long cone into the gap. Bending the branch lightly, Rudy's leg came loose. The brown-haired boy, pulling his leg free, slowly moved over to the branch where his bag dangled. Pulling out a tied-up climbing rope, he slings it over the thickest branch nearby and takes his bag onto his back. Tying his duffle coat on one end, he drops the other to the forest floor.

Turning to Laus, he said, "Could you please?" while holding out the other end of the rope.

"Do you always carry rope with you?" asked the knight.

"When you've travelled to dangerous places expecting to come back in one piece, you develop a sense to be prepared for almost anything."

Rudy sat himself onto the jacket, now a makeshift pulley basket and was lowered down to the ground.

After making sure the boy was at a safe distance, Laus proceeded to shatter the branch. With a single twist of his lance, the branch snapped cleanly off its body, falling to the ground near Rudy. Jumping off, he helped the boy make a leg splint around the shin area with the branch and fallen vines.

After patching him up, the knight looked to find the boy's weapon. Spotting it impaled on the top branch, he moved to retrieve it only to be stopped by Rudy's arm.

"There's no need. I can retrieve 'Virga Vipera' without getting close to it."

Just as Laus turned to face the sitting boy, the rod in the tree started to budge. Looking at the weapon, it was no longer a rod. The weapon had divided itself into multiple, chained segments. The sheer weight of its extended body pulled its impaled point out of the stabbed branch. It landed with a thud on the forest floor. Just as Laus thought he couldn't be any more surprised, the segmented rod 'slithered' in their direction. Dragging its body towards the sitting Rudy, it made sounds resembling a hiss as it brushed against the fallen leaves. Snatching it up, Rudy reattaches the top end of his weapon and uses it to support himself up.

"So. Where to partner?"

Snapping himself awake from what he just saw, Laus corrected his new friend.

"Sorry, but I already have a partner. She's back near the shore waiting for me."

"You must've taken quite a fall into the lake to have set up camp this early into Initiation." Rudy wobbled in his steps as he approached a nearby tree.

Surprised by the boy's statement, Laus decided to ask but was interrupted.

"Your hair is wet. That and I was behind you two when you tried to save the girl. How is she anyway?"

"She's fine. Maybe better off than you right now."

"I agree with you there. But, luckily, I can fight in more ways than one."

"You're still going to participate, even with your condition?"

"Of course. Not even a broken leg should stop a huntsman from finishing his mission," Rudy said nonchalantly.

Impressed with the boy's mindset, Laus walks over and props the teenager up with his right shoulder.

"Come on. I'll help you back to our temporary camp."

"You really didn't have to help," Rudy tried to decline. "I could walk fine with my rod."

"Save your energy," insisted the knight. "You're going to need it were we are."

Rudy stopped resisting and walked alongside his new friend.

"I never got your name."

"It's Glaus. Glaus Miles."

Glaus' smile as he introduced himself caused Rudy to smile back for the first time since entering the forest.

Hearing them from where she sat, she tried to study them. Two people, one of them was limping on a foot. The second was supporting the first. She recognized the second one's Aura. It was he who saved her from the Nevermore alongside Fran. The second one felt curious. His Aura she did not recognize. He wore a hat on his head and, it seems he had never taken it off since entering the forest. His weapon was strange as well. At first it felt like a staff similar to hers. And then it changed to something flexible, like a snake. But now, it was like a stiff rod again. Curious about this young man, her mouse ears twitched.

Noticing this slight movement in her friend, Fran asked.

"What's wrong?"

"We should get dressed," answered Shei.

Sympathizing, now that their clothes were dried, Fran took hers and gave Shei her garments before getting dressed. They were done within two minutes. Fran was already zipping up her vest when she heard their voices. Laus must have found someone. Fran had already put out the fire. The fire, if left unattended, could burn down the forest. Fran didn't want animals to suffer because of her slip up. Also, the smoke could attract any nearby Grimm. By the time Laus and Rudy arrived at the temporary camp, both Shei and Fran were done preparing themselves.

"Sorry I'm late. I ran into him while out patrolling."

"Good afternoon to you. My name is Rudy." Introducing himself with his eyes closed, he continued. "I take it that one of you is already partnered with Laus here?"

"That would be me." Fran stepped forward. Turning to face the hooded girl, Rudy extended a greeting while keeping his eyes shut.

"You must be Fran. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Can I ask why you have your eyes closed?"

"I heard only one of you had a partner. I needed to make sure that the other wouldn't mind partnering up with me before making eye contact."

"... Why go so far?" asked the timid little mouse.

Facing the second girl's direction only by the sound of her voice, Rudy replied.

"You must be Shei, the girl snatched by a Nevermore shortly after being launched."

"Uh... Yes... That is me."

"I heard you don't have a partner. Would it be alright if we paired up?"

"...Eh?" tilting her head in uncertainty, Shei made a confused face. Sensing this, Rudy explained.

"You see, in my current state, I am unable to run. However, as a potential partner, I wanted to ask you if you are willing to put up with me and my injury," Rudy added. "Only for the day, at least. I think I may need at least a day before my Aura heals–"

"It's fine," Interrupted Shei.

"... Are you sure?" asked Rudy.

"...Yes. I don't mind."

Opening his eyes, Rudy sees his new partner for the first time.

"Thank you," his hazel-green eyes gave a grateful glance at Shei before turning to Laus. "Now, can you let me walk on my own now?"

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes. I'll be fine. Thanks for the help by the way."

After releasing the limping boy, Laus looked to his partner and asked.

"So. Which way do we go?"

"Our orders were to head north and find a relic. Since we fell into the lake, we should head–"

"North is that way," Rudy held up an arm while leaning on his rod. He was pointing down the coastline, towards the mountains.

"...How could you be... so sure?" stuttered Shei, curious about her new partner.

"Before crashing into the tree line, I was trying to follow the direction of your crash. In case you needed help, I planned to head in your direction."

"Ended up the opposite of what you expected," chimed in Laus.

"Humiliatingly, yes it did," agreed Rudy, still keeping his composure. "But before I lost sight of you three, I remembered my position from the lake as I crashed."

"That's some amazing memory if you remembered it after that crash," replied Fran, impressed.

"Not as impressive as the time we've wasted. We shouldn't dally." Leading the way along the coast, Rudy walked while leaning on his rod. He walked with a wobbling gait, but it almost seemed natural to him as he was walking a little too fast than the other three expect of an injured.

"Tell me, did any of you happen to see the others while you crashed?" Rudy's straightforward question made the others think for a while.

Coming to a consensus, they all answered.

"No."

"I see," Rudy added. "It's just that I thought I saw two others following after you three before you hit the water."

Curious, Shei asked. "Do you know what they looked like?"

"All I could say about them was that their Aura was amazing."

"How so?" asked Fran.

"Well, one was dazzling like a perfect star. I thought at first that it was a meteor burning up on entry. The other was similarly impressive but not in terms of control," answering their quizzical looks, he added. "The second one was ridiculously impressive at how much Aura they were using. They didn't even try to regulate their flow."

"You mean it was like someone was releasing all they had?" Fran questioned.

"Yes." His composed expression was betrayed by his excited tone. "At first I thought it was crazy, but what was even crazier was the duration of their use of Aura. The burst lasted at least a minute before overshooting your position in the sky. The last I saw of them, the gold one changed course to follow the white one."

"ARE YOU SURE IT WAS GOLD?"

"ARE YOU SURE IT WAS WHITE?"

Startling the mouse girl and her partner, the two behind them voiced their concerns simultaneously.

"Yes," Rudy answered. "The gold one was as pure as a radiant star. The white seemed a little blue like ice. Do you know them?"

The two gave the boy a nod before explaining.

"The gold one I am sure is my friend. Reus has full control over his Aura, allowing him to use it in a variety of ways. He must've used his Semblance to maneuver himself in midair."

"The white-blue one you mentioned is most likely Jeane," Fran added. "I've seen her fight once. Although it was only for a moment, I saw her Aura flare up with an amount I've never seen in a normal person before."

"Then, to be sure," Rudy asked. "Should we start looking for them before heading towards the temple?"

Although the two nodded in agreement, one shook his head.

"No. We head for the temple. Searching for them is second priority."

"Can I ask why?" Rudy became curious.

"Aureus and I grew up in Atlas. We went and studied in the same military school there. He knows that the mission takes precedence."

"But what about Jeane," asked Fran. "Won't she think otherwise?"

"Most likely, yes," replied the gray-eyed knight. "But Reus won't allow it."

"...How could you be so sure... that she won't resist, I mean?" chimed Shei.

"I can bet that she would resist. And that is how we'll find them."

Just as the three fell into confusion, an explosion was heard. Snapping to high alert, Shei looked to the north, her ears twitching. Smoke rose to the sky like a pillar.

"Is it safe to assume that the explosion was caused by your friends?" Rudy asked politely, his eyes shifted to a stern look at the trio. Taking their silence as a yes, Rudy added.

"Then, shall we head in that direction for now?"

Laus led the group as they head towards the smoke stack. He had already drawn his lance and readied his left arm to deploy the shield as a moment's notice. Fran took the rear. A bladed arrow was pulled back in her compound bow. Between the two, Shei and Rudy had their respective staff and rod at the ready. The four moved as quickly as they could. Their speed was slowed a bit in concern for Rudy's leg. Although he kept insisting that the pain didn't bother him, all three denied him and their pace dropped.

They had already lost sight of the lake when they found their first clues. One crater the size of an Ursa and scorch marks beside it had suggested that two people had landed in the vicinity. The individuals in question, however, weren't present. Continuing their search, Fran found what seemed to be human footprints. Switching positions, they followed the tracks, led by Fran with Laus covering their rear.

Luckily, they never ran into any Grimm, which was odd, seeing as they were in a Grimm-infested forest. Fearing for the worst, Shei kept glancing around while listening with her ears. Perceiving this, Rudy asked his partner what was wrong. Voicing this concern, the mouse Faunus answered.

"...It's just that... we've been here for a while now and... nothing," her worry could be felt from her tone of voice. "...There's nothing here."

"Can I ask, partner? What do you understand about the creatures of Grimm?" Rudy asked her a question and left the little mouse to ponder a while before giving a reply.

"...Creatures of destruction that seeks to destroy mankind. They're monsters... whose sole aim is our destruction. Driven only to kill, they form packs of similar species... to effectively increase their chances in hunting. They are attracted to negative emotions... and will sometimes gather in areas... where such feelings are abundant."

"Did you know that anxiety can attract a Grimm just as easily as fear and hate?" Rudy questioned.

Her silence was his answer.

"You don't have to be afraid of the lack of Grimm. Truth be told, you should be rejoicing for this fact because it means there are none currently after you."

Her partner smiled while explaining, trying to calm her down. Seeing as she still looked unconvinced, he pulled a thermos from his duffle bag. Uncapping the container, he poured a copper colored liquid into the cap and gave it to the mouse girl.

"Here. Have some tea," he said. "It'll calm your nerves."

Timidly taking a sip of the lukewarm liquid, Shei felt a little more peaceful. Whiffing the steam rising from the cap, her nerves unravelled a little more. Finishing the contents of the cap, she hands it back to Rudy.

"Um.. What's in it?" she asks shyly.

"Today's brew is thyme tea mixed with a little lemon balm. Was it too sweet?"

"..No no. It was delicious. Thank you."

"Glad I could help. Does either one of you want some?" he asked, giving the knight and hunter an inquiring look respectively. Both politely refuse and the group continues their trek through the forest.

It wasn't until an hour when they found more clues to the whereabouts of their friends. The clearing in the forest had been decimated; signs of a battle littered all over. Fallen trees and scorched earth were just a few. What drew Laus' attention was the deep claw marks on the bark of neighbouring trees. Fran approached one and studied it, running her slender fingers down the gash.

"Beowolves. Probably a pack."

"...You think they're... all right?" muttered Shei.

"Seeing as there's no sign of blood," the knight and hunter gave Rudy a glare before he added. "They are probably fine."

This brought a relieved sigh to the mouse girl.

"Although, it makes you wonder where they might've gone," the boy added with a look of curiosity.

"There," Fran pointed to an overhanging branch at the edge of the clearing. "These are strands of Jeane's hair. They must've gone this–."

Noticing the green hunter's sudden pause, Laus approached.

"What's up?"

Fran was looking at the forest floor. Following her gaze, he spots drops of red discoloring the green grass. The gray knight heard footsteps and a gasp behind him.

"It seems your friends went this way," Rudy's expression remained composed, but his tone was grim. "I suppose it is time to pick up the pace."

Laus could only nod in agreement before the group started to run in the direction of the blood trail. To the surprise of the trio, Rudy was limping but he was keeping up. His agility even while injured was unbelievable. The group kept moving until they arrived at a clearing.

A seemingly old structure stood near the center. Covered in moss and grime, the manmade stone temple was being reclaimed by Mother Nature. Bricks of hand-carved rock were layered and rose up, nearly reaching the tree line. Several pillars and a portion of the wall were shattered with stones scattered all over, most likely battered by the elements. Thirty stone pedestals stood in a circle around the middle of the temple. On top of most of the pedestals, there was one object each.

"Old weapons?" Fran raised the question.

"...Are these... supposed to be the relics?" Shei followed up.

"There are empty pedestals. Your friends might've run through here." said Rudy.

"I've heard rumors about the headmaster personally choosing the relics to be used for Initiation every year." Laus spoke up. "Every Initiation objective is said to be different for every school year."

"And it seems that he has an unusual sense of humor." Stepping forward, Rudy examined the relic on top of the nearest pedestal, a short rod with a broken tip covered in dust. "These look like relics from the Great War."

"How can you tell?" asked Fran.

"Take a look around you. These weapons appear to have only one usable form." The other tree studied the weapons, agreeing to his point. "Unlike our weapons, all of these here seem to be of the original designs like those we see in museums."

"...So... which ones do we take?" stammered Shei.

"We should take what we can use to our advantage." Laus stepped forward and picked up a small shield. Eyeing his partner, he hands it to her.

"You might need it."

"Thanks but I can fight better without one."

"Alright then," he replies before securing it on his back with a vine.

"We should choose one too." Rudy softly said to his partner.

"Right," Shei picked up the short rod Rudy was examining a while ago and gave it to the bereted boy. Securing it on his shin splint, Rudy and Shei were ready as well.

"Right. Now, let's go find your friends."

However, before any of them could move, anther loud explosion and crashing was heard from the other side of the forest. Looking over in the direction of the sound, the four Initiates saw a pillar of smoke rising from the base of a mountain.

Hurrying to the scene, the group found the disintegrating remains of a Beowolf pack and what appeared to be the collapsed mouth of a cave. The ground had scorch marks all over as if a forest fire had ravaged the scene. Approaching the pile of boulders and rocks, Fran analyzed the situation. But she quickly drew back a hand that touched the nearest boulder, nursing a slight burn on her palm.

"What's wrong?" asked Laus.

"These rocks were burnt through, causing the cave in."

"Hmmmm," approaching the rocks, Rudy examined them closely without touching them. "What kind of weapon could do this?"

"It's Aureus," replied Laus. "They're probably trapped inside."

"..But how will they get out?" asked Shei.

Shaking his head, Laus answered the girl. Rudy, on the other hand, studied the rest of the surrounding rock face.

"You said your friend caused the cave in, yes?" asked Rudy. "To escape the Beowolves, I mean."

"Most likely."

"Shouldn't we just get rid of the boulders in the way then?" asked Fran.

Rudy now had his face on the rock wall, as if he was trying to hear through it.

"No. That would take too much time."

"Then ... what should we do?" asked Shei.

Rudy knocked the wall a few times before picking up a rock and carving an X on the rock face. He repeated the process on several other points before turning to the others.

"Since we don't have the time to clear the cave entrance," he drew a smile on his face as he continued. "We make one. We will only need a few punctures here, here and here."

Understanding his plan, Laus drew his weapon and set the scroll up to a third of a turn. Aiming it at the points on the rock face marked by Rudy, he set himself to work.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hi and Thank You once again for reading my latest update. For those of you who have been reading this fanfic since day one, THANK YOU. No, seriously, thanks for putting up with me. At first, I never really thought that this story would reach 10 followers, let alone 60. Now, I wish to continue writing as I believe I owe it to you all, the readers, for your support. As always, if you want to point out anything for me to improve on this story, review or PM me. Guest is fine too. As it is said, "A single perfection is born from a thousand mistakes.". Thanks again. XD**_


	7. Chapter 6: A Frosty Partnership

Jeane's eyes were locked onto the giant black bird, which was currently under attack by the half-armored boy named Laus as well as her friend, Fran. The moment she saw the massive Grimm open its claws, she had tried to rush to her Faunus friend's aid. But, seeing that she was in the middle of flying, her options for movement were limited.

She scanned the surrounding airspace for ideas. Fran had already gone ahead using her bow, leaving Jeane to wonder just how powerful her weapon was to be able to shoot arrows capable of opposing the strong air resistance. Her gaze then moved to the dark-skinned boy flying ahead of her. Since the incident the day before, she had tried to avoid him. His words were painful, saying her resolve was weak. It annoyed Jeane that someone actually dared saying her love for her brother was a weak reason. He didn't know anything about her. He doesn't have a right to say anything about her resolution to join Beacon. But as her two friends were in danger, she understood that she couldn't be picky about her options.

She studied the boy. Aureus was currently flying parallel to Jeane. He had his arms held open by his sides and his feet together. All four limbs were discharging a steady stream of Aura, propelling him forward. As she watched him, the golden-haired boy began to slowly extend his right arm, pointing the direction of his flight towards the Nevermore.

'Is he trying to help too?' thought the blonde knight.

Quickly scanning the boy's form one more time, Jeane tried to mimic his actions. Her skirt-like waist guard clanged with the wind as she got her legs into position. Putting her arms to her side, she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate her Aura flow. Over the course of five months training her father gave her, Aura was the only lesson she had to teach herself as her father had no experience in teaching it at all. She knew the defensive capabilities well. She practised it while mimicking her father's stances and strikes. But she had heard about there being other uses for Aura.

Focusing on her arms and legs, she felt a tiny surge of energy at her fingertips and toes. The next thing she knew, she felt the wind resistance increase. She opened her eyes and saw that she was burning with a bluish white flame. Noting her success, she concentrated more Aura to gush through her limbs. She flew incredibly fast that she shot past Aureus in the blink of an eye. The surprised boy could only move out of her way.

'I'll show you just how strong my resolve is.' Wearing a haughty expression, Jeane became a white hot comet that flew towards the giant bird of prey.

She pulled out her weapon and switched it to sword form. Raising the blade and ready to strike, the young knight aimed to chop off its legs.

'If I cut deep enough, Fran may be able to get Shei out of there,' she thought.

However, the blonde knight never managed to reach her target. While timing her slash, she swung out only to hit air. Doubting her senses, she looked around only to spot her target crashing down into the lake. She spotted a human-shaped figure splash into the lake bellow. Sighing in relief that they got away, she suddenly realized her own situation.

'Nononono.' She thought to herself.

Her propulsion strayed off course. She had realized that in the moment that she moved her arms to pull out her weapon, her balance was ruined, sending her off course. Realizing her mistake, she was now spinning out of control above the lake. She tried to rebalance herself but while trying to stream an Aura burst from her arms, she ended up letting go of her sword. As it dropped down to earth, she began spinning in midair a little too fast. It became difficult to discern the lake from the forest until she was left with only a few hundred meters between her and the tree line.

She had no landing plan. She was going to die. She had lost her weapon and already used up most of her Aura. There wasn't enough to shield her from the force of impact. Even if she had some Aura reserves, there would be nothing to heal if she died of shock from landing at that speed.

Only a few seconds left between her and the forest floor. She braced herself for the crash. Balling up and closing her eyes, she prepared herself for the impact, feeling a cloud of soul-crushing regret blanket her heart.

"I'm sorry–"

She muttered a silent apology. A trembling hand went to the black ribbon on her head.

"...Jaune–"

Silence came. The winds howled no more. The exploding sound of her collision to earth was absent. The sound of death seemed to be mocking her as she began to hear a hum. It wasn't loud or painful to the ears. In fact, it was soothing. As if death, itself, was inviting her.

Opening her eyes, all she saw was white. Light seemed to flow from every direction. Confused, she tried to move her arms and legs. She couldn't move them. She tried to swing her arms and stretch her legs to no avail. She felt similar to being paralyzed.

'Is this what they call 'death's embrace'?'

The thought crept up on her, causing a chill to go down her spine. She was scared. She tried again and again to move, but her limbs wouldn't budge no matter how many times she tried. Desperate, she tried channelling her Aura. Concentrating hard on escaping the white void, she imagined her Aura flaring up around her in the form of a protective shield, similar to what she was taught to do during combat. After a few minutes of trying, going so far as to push her limits, she gave up.

She began to cry again. Fearing she may never see her friends and family, she felt imaginary tears streaming down her cheeks. Her thoughts went to how she first met everyone at Beacon, how she saw her brother's face again for the first time in a long year.

'And I had just met them too.' She thought.

She remembered his smile, his laugh, everything, and cried about how she would never be able to see it all again. At one point, she started laughing about not being able to give him something to remember her for like his ribbon to her.

"Ahh, dammit," she said. "I wish this was just a dream."

'Then wake up already.'

The sudden reply by a male voice made her jolt in surprise.

"Who's there?" she asked.

No reply came. She tried calling again yet no one replied. Collecting her thoughts, she patiently waited for a reply, but none came. Heaving a sigh, she closed her eyelids in disappointment.

Just then, she felt a cold feeling on her cheek. Opening her eyes, Jeane was stunned. She could see a blinding sky. Only this time, it wasn't just white. Gray streaks of clouds were flying above her. Snow fell with the breeze.

Surprised, she tried to stand up. The entire place around her was covered in snow. Turning behind her, she was greeted by a vast view of ice and snow fields. Icicles jutted up from the frozen earth, covering the ground with beautiful glass crowns. Several cracks ran through the frozen fields, forming dark blue veins that stretched out until the horizon. Some were shallow crevices that led deep into ravines between the ice glaciers. A few were as dark as the depths of the ocean.

While thinking of how the scenery seemed familiar to her, she tried blinking again. The sound of the cold winds quickly disappeared the moment she closed her eyes. It was deathly silent. She could only feel the cold on her skin. Her hair swayed with the breeze.

Opening her eyes once more, the view around her had followed suit and changed as well. The ice fields were gone, replaced by tall frozen cliffs on either side of her. The light of the sky could barely get through some of the thin gaps maybe by the cliff edges up above. She tried to move around, her eyes adapting to the dim cavern. Before her, a dark tunnel stretched out. The dark valley that the light couldn't reach made Jeane feel an eerie chill. Behind her, the cavern's entrance shone with small rays of light. Hearing the echo of footsteps, she faced the cave entrance.

A figure walked in through the icy opening. Tall and masculine, the figure removed the hood of his caribou-skin parka as he walked toward Jeane. A dark-skinned head topped with spiky gold hair appeared from under the white-colored pelt. The fur on his sleeves was tinted gray. The spikes built into his ice boots punched small holes in the ice beneath him as the boy walked on the frozen floor. He stopped directly in front of the girl's position and breathed a sigh. His breath turned into a cloud of steam as it left his mouth.

'Isn't he the boy from yesterday?' she thought. 'No. Wait.'

The young man standing in front of her was definitely the spitting image of Aureus Rex, the boy who rejected her reason for entering Beacon. But there were differences compared to the last time she saw him up close. Aside from his attire, his eyes weren't brownish red like they were yesterday. Instead, they were of a brilliant shade of scarlet. He was also exactly her height, on the same eye level as her. He stood before Jeane and looked straight in the girl's direction.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He didn't answer. In the place of a response, he started looking around the giant frozen hallway, his gaze seemingly ignoring the Arc's presence. Before she could call out again, he spoke.

"Her tracks led to this ravine. Dammit. Where could she be?" He looked down on the frozen earth with a weary expression.

"Who are you looking for?" Still being ignored, she followed up. She walked up to the boy and addressed him again.

"Hey! Answer me!"

Pissed at getting no reaction, she picked up some snow, balled it up and threw it at his face. The white ball of frozen water was aimed directly at his face. But to the blonde girl's shock, it passed right through him. Shocked, Jeane took several steps back. Aureus, however, stood there seemingly unaffected. Sweeping the area with his gaze once more, he walked around and investigated the area. His ice boots clanged with a resounding click. Jeane stared at the boy who was currently crouching low on the ground, tracing the ice with his bare fingertips. Calming herself down, she tried nudging the boy on the shoulder.

'Don't bother.'

A female voice called behind her. Turning, Jeane faced a beautiful, young girl. Dressed in a similar parka as Aureus, although blue trimmed with white fur, she stood up to the Arc girl's shoulder at her full height. A sheath and sword, adorned with blue and white markings, hung on the back of her waist. The hilt was wrapped in blue while the pommel was decorated with a red crystal. Her hair shone silver. Several short locks fell over her face while the rest was tied into two tails by two loose, black ribbons, leaving the tails to flow down behind her shoulders. Contrasting her blue and white attire, a long crimson scarf covered her neck and chin. She looked back at Jeane with round, piercing, electric-blue eyes.

'You can't touch him,' said the young girl with a voice similar to Jeane's.

"What do you mean I can't touch him?" Jeane asked with her tone full of confusion.

'This place isn't real. What you see here isn't a part of reality, at least, not anymore.' She spoke without opening her thin lips. 'What you're seeing is a memory. A fragment, to be specific.'

"What are you saying?" her eyes darted back and forth between the girl and the boy behind her. "Who are you?"

'Hmm...' The little girl thought for a moment before answering with a smile. 'I guess my name is (Jeane), seeing as I am a manifestation unique only to your soul.'

"What?"

'Maybe it's better to call me your Semblance.'

"You're not making any sense. How can my Semblance be a person?"

'I am not what you can call a living human, but I suppose it is confusing. Seeing as most people don't get the complexity of how Aura and Semblance work in the first place,' the girl happily skipped around the snow-covered floor. 'You'll find out, eventually, but now, there are more important things.'

"What do you mean? How is this is just a memory?" Jeane stammered.

'Fragment.' (Jeane) corrected. 'This is only part of a memory. What you see, hear and feel right now is a copy of a memory that belongs to someone you used your Semblance on. What you see before you is just a small piece from the whole thing.'

"My Semblance lets me copy a person's memory?"

'Yes and no.' (Jeane) tried to explain. 'Your Semblance is the power of mimicry. However, there's a catch.'

Raising a hand, (She) continued while pointing an index finger at Jeane. A devilish smile crawled on her face.

'You are incapable of creating a perfect imitation, no matter how hard you try. This is a fact. The efforts given by another for the purpose of achieving something cannot be replicated by a little girl for her own selfish reasons.'

"Who are you calling 'selfish'?" Jeane asked.

'Sorry, but that is the only word I can use to explain it. Moving on–'

"Don't ignore me."

'You may not be able to copy them perfectly. However, you are able to peek into their reasons.'

Although she was ignored, (her) words stopped Jeane from getting angry.

"What do you mean 'their reasons'?" she asked.

'Well, simply put, you will be able to see what forced them into achieving what you're trying to copy.'

"What is that supposed to accomplish?"

'I could explain it if I can. It's just that even 'I' am limited to what 'you' understand. But since you are still curious, I'll answer any other question to the best of my, ahem, your, capabilities.'

"Then, what are you supposed to be? Are you a part of this guy's memory and emotions?"

'Oh no,' (Jeane) answered. 'I am a part of you. But I believe my appearance is, in a way, partially influenced by the fragment.'

"I see." She said. "And how do I get out of here?"

'You don't. You are stuck here until the fragment completes its recollection.'

"How long would that be?"

'You're almost there. I can feel it.'

(Jeane) replied with a smile while Jeane tried to take it all in. Young Aureus, however, completed his investigation. Heaving a disappointed sigh, he stood up from the icy floor, muttering under his breath.

"Tch, tracks lead to a dead end. Where could she have gone?"

CRACK

Both Jeane and the younger Reus flinched at the sound of breaking ice. The ravine echoed with the howl of the wind in their silence. Suddenly, the shadowy depths of the frozen hallway moved.

"Who's there?"

The dark-skinned boy called out. His had readied his posture for combat. Although he carried a threatening tone, his voice was rough and worn-out.

"What's happening?" Jeane asked.

'I said I am limited to what you know. From what I can see is that this boy has company.'

"Can we do anything?"

'You? Want to help?' (She) asked apprehensively.

"So?" Jeane evaded the query. "Can we?"

'No. We can't' answered the little girl. 'This is his memory, there's nothing we can do about it.'

"WHO'S THERE?" he repeated yelling out to the shadows, taking deep breaths as he did so. The air from his breathing froze as it left his lips.

'He sounds drained,' (Jeane) spoke up. 'He seems to have been searching for quite a while.'

"What do you mean?"

'You mean you haven't noticed.' (She) stared back, an expression of disbelief on her face. 'Ever since you first saw him here, you didn't note his tired expression?'

RRRRUUUUGGGRRRRR

A low growl silenced the observers. One pair of shining red eyes glowed in the dark abyss. The bony plate mask signature only to Grimm reflected the light from the entrance. The growling reply that came after revealed it to be a large Beowolf.

RAAAAGGGGRRRRR

Spines sprouted along the arms and down its back as the giant creature clawed its way towards the small boy. Saliva dripped from its mouth full of razor sharp teeth as a black tongue licked its chops, ready for a meal.

"Alpha," Reus relaxed as he saw his opponent. "I don't have time for stupid Grimm. Get out of my way!"

RRRAAAAAGGGRRR

Pouncing at his provocation, the Beowolf lunged at empty space as Reus rolled to the side. This caused the Grimm to slide along the icy ground before turning back and lunging again. Recovering from his roll, Reus rolled again at the last minute. This time, he switched to a crouch position after the roll and jumped high into the air, leaving the Beo to attack the opposite wall. Using the spikes on the soles of his boots, he kicks off the frozen ice wall to somersault in midair. He plants his landing on top of the oblivious Grimm, stabbing his boot spikes into the Alpha's hide.

RAAAGGGGRRRRR

Howling in pain, the Beo tries to fling the boy off. But Aureus grabs on tight, using the long spines on its back as a grip.

"Is this really the best you can do?" he says as he snaps a spike off of the Grimm's back. Howling yet again, the Alpha tries to slam its back into the wall to rid itself of the boy. Taking another spike with him, Reus' jumps off at the last minute as the Alpha impales itself on the cliff face. It tried to use a claw to swipe at his spiked golden head. However, Reus faced the beast with an unchanging expression, holding the long spikes, one in each hand.

RRRAAAAAAGGG––

Desperate, the Alpha tried to swing a claw at the boy, but it never got close. With its spines stuck in ice, the Alpha had managed to wedge itself into the wall with its slam. Wearing an uninterested expression, Reus spoke up.

"Are you seriously an Alpha class Beowolf?"

Reus tossed the spines in front of their stationary owner, leaving the damaged bones to dissipate on the ice. He started investigating the depths of the darkness where the Alpha came from. The spikes on his boots clicked away, leaving one Grimm and two girls near the only visible exit. The Grimm continued to struggle while the girls watched in awe as Reus nonchalantly left the battle he fought, unscathed and unarmed. As the clicking faded, (Jeane) spoke her thoughts.

'Impressive.' (Jeane) said with a smile.

"What is?" Jeane asked.

'His fight. Notice how he didn't even draw his weapon?'

"I could've done it just as smoothly." She said with an arrogant tone.

'I highly doubt it,' replied (Jeane) 'What makes you so sure that you could do something similar?'

"Oh stop it. You can't be completely sure."

'I am a part of you. I have complete confidence that you won't be able to replicate his fight without using your Semblance.'

"Hmph. Fine. Be that way."

'... Are you, by any chance, jealous?'

"Of what?"

'Of him.'

"Wha–? No, I'm not!"

'(Giggle)'

"Why are you laughing?!"

'No particular reason,' (she) smiled. 'Still, for a student from Atlas to not finish off a Grimm during battle, how peculiar.'

"Atlas?"

'The ice isn't familiar to you?' (Jeane) asked. 'We're currently inside one of the many ravines scattered all over Mantle.'

Before the girls could continue their conversation, a small flash of light emanated from the dark abyss. It appeared only for a moment before plunging into darkness once more. Curious, Jeane asked.

"What was that?"

'I don't know,' answered (Jeane).

"Should we go check it out?"

'Yes. Let's–'

RRRAAAAGGGRRR

The Alpha Beowolf, still stuck on the wall, roared loudly as its drool scattered all over the ground. It tried to wriggle itself free but was unable to dislodge itself from the icy trap. Finding that random movement was ineffective, it slammed its only free part on the surface of the wall, its head.

BAM

RAAGRR

BAM

RRAAAAGRRR

BAM

CRACK

Fractures began to appear on the wall. Spreading at a rapid pace with each slam, the icy prison began to weaken. Soon, the cracks made were loose enough for the Alpha to pull itself out. Now free from its shackles, the Alpha howled once before chasing after the boy. The two girls immediately followed after. The beast was bounding at an alarming speed. Jeane and (Jeane) were keeping up, if barely.

Reus came into view within the darkness. Crouched low on the ground just ahead, he seemed oblivious to the attacking Grimm. Jeane called out, forgetting the fact that he wouldn't hear her anyways. Just as the Alpha was about to sink its teeth into the boy's back, a long, yet thin, glowing barrel lit the dark hall. Imprinting an arc of light into the Arc girl's eyes, the barrel made its way into the face plate of the large Beowolf. The impact shattered the mask and sent the owner flying into the wall. Still alive, the Alpha got on all fours and growled in anger. However, instead of facing his opponent, Reus posed a question to the hostile creature while looking up to the distant sky between the cliff gaps.

"Hey, have you seen a little girl come by here?"

The beast, incapable of human language, growled with feral aggression. Receiving his answer, he lowered his head and heaved a sigh.

"No? Then," Aureus turned, revealing his dark expression to the two girls. His face was painted in silent rage as he raised his baton above his head. Aura channelled to the weapon, illuminating the dark cavern with a bright gold. A wall of light appeared behind him, rippling with energy. In a swift arc, the weapon was swung down, in the direction of the Alpha.

"I have no use for you."

As he uttered these words, two beams of lights formed spearheads and shot out of the wall behind him. One of them shot towards the head while the other aimed for its chest. Flying quickly towards his target, the light blades impaled their targets and set the Grimm ablaze. The Alpha howled in pain, writhing on the floor as it turned to ash before their very eyes. After a while, it stopped moving. The golden flames continued to consume the corpse as it started to fade away. Jeane had just stood there, gaping in awe at the phenomenon that just occurred before her very eyes. While the Alpha's remains vanished in the wind, Reus had turned and started walking. His face wore an ominous look.

Looking down at where he was crouched a while ago, Jeane found out why he was in a rush. The snow was stained in black. Dried blood had tainted the once white ice. She immediately followed after the boy. He had walked a few meters further into the cavern until he spotted the first sign of a battle. The floor was shattered. The walls had scratches and claw marks all over. With a foreboding chill running down both teens' spine, Reus began his investigation while Jeane stayed back with (Jeane).

"I thought you said it's nearly over?" she asked the little girl. "Why am I still here?"

'My guess is that you still haven't realized the reason behind his strength.'

"What does that have to do with following him down memory lane?"

'You'll probably see soon enough.'

The sounds of something hitting ice broke the silence. Moving towards the origin of the noise, Jeane found Reus. He was kneeling on one knee with a fist planted into the ice. His expression was pained. Walking towards him, Jeane found out why.

Before the two teens, a parka coat similar to the one Reus wore lay on the floor of the dark, frozen rift. Torn pelt littered the ground. Shredded open around the chest area, the black-colored hide lay there as if a part of the ground.

"Who's is this?" Jeane pondered out loud. "Another one of Atlas' students?"

'No,' answered (Jeane). 'Something that is worth even more to him.'

'Huh?' Jeane contemplated on the meaning of the little girl's words. Looking closer, she noticed that it wasn't a shade of black that colored the fur. Quickly realizing this, Jeane jolted back several steps. She had finally noticed. There was a stench of death emanating from the coat. The once blue, trimmed with white fur, garment had been stained with blood.

"It can't be her. No. I'm mistaken. The blood is dry. This must've happened sometime before. But why was there no distress signal? Could they have lost their scroll? No. I should be looking for her. She should be alive. She has to be."

Getting up, Reus rambled to himself. His eyes were turning red. He was trembling as he spoke. It was clear as day how anxious he was getting. But as he continued to search the dark cavern, what he found next only seemed to torment him even more.

Further down, they came upon a weapon. Impaled on the ground was a long spear with a flat blade. The handle was blue and the silver blade seemed to be chipped off and dented in a few areas but otherwise looked combat worthy. The blunt end of the spear glinted with a dark red.

What caught Reus' eye, however, was the long trail of black that stemmed from the base of the impaled weapon. Tracing it towards a small crevice in the wall, the blondes spot something that made Reus collapse on his knees.

A long scarf lay on the frozen floor. Its color was dyed in mixed shades of black and crimson. The small hand that held it close was pale and covered in snow. The peaceful expression on the girl's face and the way her small body leaned on the ice wall made it seem like she was quietly asleep. Her hair tied in two tails by black ribbons was as white as the snowflakes that fell on her head through the gaps above. The black trail had stemmed from the dried pool under the large wound on her abdomen.

The blondes stayed silent. Jeane, in particular, had her palms covering her mouth as she suppressed a scream. (Jeane), on the other hand, examined the girl.

'I see,' (she) said. 'So this is why I took her form.'

"What do you mean?" Jeane asked quietly.

'What I'm saying is–'

"It's a lie, right?"

The boy's voice silenced the two girls.

"I'm dreaming, aren't I? It's a dream. Just a very... very bad... dream."

He started laughing. The sight became too painful to watch that Jeane had to turn away from the two on the floor. Still covering her mouth, all she could do was listen to his cries. After a while, even his laughing gave way to despair as he brought himself to wrap the cold little girl in his arms. He mourned while at the same time, denying her death. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he hugged the peaceful corpse.

"You can't be dead! Please! Please, don't do this to me! It's my fault. Its big brother's fault, isn't it?! If only I'd never left, you wouldn't have gone after me! This is all my fault!"

As she listened to the one-sided exchange, Jeane heard a voice.

'HEY, WAKE UP!'

The male voice sent a nauseating pain through her skull. It echoed inside Jeane's head. The moment she heard it, her vision started to waver.

"AGGHHH! What's going on?!" she asked.

Her sense of touch grew numb.

'The memory's collapsing,' (Jeane) answered. 'You're about to wake up.'

Noise had consumed her hearing.

"Wake up? You mean all of this was just a dream?!"

'In a way? Yes.'

"Then I won't be able to remember any of this."

'Not immediately,' (she) replied. 'But in time, you will.'

The scene around her began to grow hazy. Reus was now quietly whispering to his sleeping sister.

"Don't worry. I won't leave you again."

"HEY! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

Before her last visions of the place began to fade, she heard two male voices blended together inside her aching head.

'HEY, WAKE UP'

"So please..."

'GET UP! ARC!'

"Forgive me..."

'JEANE!'

"Gen..."

A blonde boy was holding another blonde in his arms. After minutes of trying, the girl's eyes had finally showed signs of life. Aureus had already stopped shaking the blonde girl in his arms as the Arc girl started looking around, getting a bearing on her surroundings. Looking up at her savior, Jeane's eyes were at first a bit sleepy. After a few seconds of silence, they slowly opened wide. Separated by only five inches of breathable air, the girl shuddered for a moment before going completely still. Reus was about to sigh in relief as she looked fine.

"KYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH"

That is until, both teens started screaming.

SMACK

"Ow! What the hell was that–?!"

And Jeane started punching him.

SMACK

"OW! Stop it–!"

SMACK

"AAHH! Stop doing that–!"

SMACK

"STOP!"

Panting out of exhaustion, Aureus felt Jeane's left fist hovering dangerously close to his face.

"Are you done?" the boy asked.

The girl glared back as he spoke but slowly answered with a nod.

"(Sigh) how are you?"

"..."

"Any side effects?"

"..."

"Nothin'? Ok."

"..."

"Are you just going to continue ignoring me?"

"...ease...me... wn..." the girl stuttered while lowering her gaze.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Could you please... put me down... now?" Jeane slowly asked, hiding the redness of her face.

"Oh, sorry."

Complying with the shorter blonde's request, Reus released the female knight from his bridal carry. Jeane timidly backed away, first one step, then two, until she was a full meter away from him. All this time, she kept her expression hidden behind her hair.

"You dropped this, by the way."

Glancing back at the boy, she noticed a familiar object on his extended left hand. Nervously reaching out, Jeane gripped her sword by its hilt, gently brushing her fingers on his palm. This turned her a little red with embarrassment as she snatched the weapon away. Aureus lowered his hand without saying another word.

'Jeez, not even a thank you? Is this chick for real?'

Jeane heard a familiar voice. Suddenly glancing back at her only company, she balled a fist. Flinching as she prepared to give him another hit aimed at his head, Reus took a quick step back with both arms raised, ready to intercept.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy!" he kept his arms raised, signalling no harm. "I already put you down and gave you back your sword. So, before you start hitting me, could you please tell me why?"

"... Thank you..." Lowering her arm, Jeane expressed her gratitude.

Aureus slowly put down his arms, sighing as he did so. Then,

'Gratitude shown through threatening me. She may be weird, but at least she's polite... in a way.'

The voice resounded again. However, this time, Reus didn't move his lips. Jeane couldn't believe that the voice didn't come from him and began looking around her once more, making sure they were the only two in the area.

Currently, they were in the center of a glade within the forest. It was a freshly made clearing as a massive crater seemed to have destroyed all of the trees within the vicinity. Scanning the area, Jeane felt no presences hidden behind the trees.

"Are you alright?" Reus asked.

Noticing Jeane's constant urgency to check the surrounding area, the dark-skinned boy got curious.

"What happened to this place?" Jeane asked back.

"Wait. You don't remember anything? The crash? Nothing?"

The Arc shook her head. Aureus sighed. Scratching his head, he explained how he rescued her. He told her about how he judged that Shei already had enough help and decided to follow after Jeane. The force of their landing had resulted in an Ursa-sized crater centered where they were standing. Finishing his explanation with an awkward smile, he waited for the other blonde's response.

"So... you saved me then?" she slowly asked.

"Yeah, kinda."

"But... why did it feel like... I was out for a while?"

"Well... when I caught you, you were already out. You wouldn't wake up so I sorta had to use my Aura on you."

"What do you mean?" Jeane asked.

"I kinda... passed some... uuhh... how do I say this..." the boy was trying to explain.

"What did you do to me?" Jeane asked a little more forcefully this time.

"Uhm..." Reus pondered on how to explain. "You were low on Aura when you crashed. To help heal your injuries, I used mine and passed some of my Aura to you. At first, I thought you died on impact but it seems you woke up just fine."

Ending his explanation, Reus showed a relieved smile. Jeane began examining herself starting with her hands. She remained silent for a while before asking.

"If I received some of yours, how are you not affected by the loss of your Aura?" Her eyes were aimed at the boy before her.

"It's part of my expertise," Reus answered with a straight face. "I can't get hurt just by sharing."

"That was dangerous! What if one of us died?!"

"Look here, girly. I did what I had to at the time." Aureus stated with a heavy tone. "There's nothing to do about it now."

'Seriously, how can you NOT be grateful?' She tried to ignore the voice in her head.

"Fine, but what about those scorch marks?"

"You were out cold by the time I caught you. As soon as we landed, you suddenly started releasing huge amounts of Aura and ended up burning everything around you."

"...Did you... you know... get burned too?" Jeane asked.

"Who? Me? Nah, I'm fine." The boy replied with a stupid grin.

'Just a scratch on the elbow but it's fine.' The voice replied.

"Let me see your arms."

Jeane's demand wiped the smirk off his face.

'How does she know?'

"Let me see your arms, right now." Her tone became a bit more forceful.

Raising his right arm, Reus revealed a sizeable burn mark under his elbow. The skin appeared dry and red, shaping a large mark on his dark skin.

'No point in hiding it now, but what is this? Can she can read minds?'

"Why is there a voice inside my head?" Jeane's serious expression was aimed directly at the blonde in front of her.

Reus seemed confused.

"Wait. Isn't that your Semblance?"

"What is?"

"The mind reading?"

Now Jeane was confused.

Reus became silent for a moment. He remained rooted on the spot, giving Jeane an intense gaze. Uncomfortable about it, she spoke up.

"What are you doing?"

"SHH. I'm trying to see if you can really read minds."

"What do you mean?"

"Just be quiet for a sec."

'She doesn't seem to be hurt, at least.'

Jeane remained silent as Reus continued his rude observation. For a moment she considered if the boy had lost his marbles or was just toying with her. After a minute, she started thinking whether he was actually a pervert and considered using her sword. But even that thought flew by after a while, thinking that such a person wouldn't show the slightest bit of concern like he did. His observation continued for another minute before Jeane realized a crucial fact.

'He's going to be my partner for the next four years. Ahh. Dammit! Why wasn't it someone I knew besides him? Calm down, Jeane. There must be a way to recover from this. NO! There is no way! You heard Ozpin! There would be no turning back after you make eye contact. Ahh, curse that headmaster. But he may not be so bad. He looks like he could manage on his own in a fight. Plus, he already knows Shei and Fran so being a friend may be a bit easier– No, no, no! He looks like the type to force his beliefs on others. Those are one of the hardest to deal with. I mean, he did yell at me on that day. Then again, his eyes are pretty, like garnets. No, Jeane. Don't be fooled by the pretty gems.'

"Alright," seemingly finished with his observation, Reus broke his silence."I think I get the gist of your Semblance."

"...What?"

"It isn't 'mind reading'. It's 'telepathy'." He held his chin while explaining. "Basically, strong emotions and relevant information is what gets passed on through thought. For example, all this time I had been observing you. At the start, you were getting mad about something, right?"

"... How did you?"

"First, at me. Second, at the headmaster." Reus enumerated. "After that, it seemed like you became...a little... confused."

"...Con...Confused? ... Over what?" Jeane was stuttering nervously.

"Something about fights and beliefs. I didn't get most of it."

She heaved a relieved sigh.

"Oh! Something about a gem? What was that about?" He added while scratching the back of his head.

"...You read ALL my thoughts?!" Turning red, she readied a fist.

Aureus stopped what he was doing and held both arms in front of him.

"Easy. Easy. Before you resort to violence, at least let me try to explain the extent of your Semblance."

Jeane lowered her fist again, a little slower this time. An angry, red-faced look was plastered all over her face.

"I can only receive the messages and thoughts that appear strong or could be important to you. I think the same goes for me to you. But maybe there are exceptions."

"How so?" Jeane was a bit flustered and angry at the same time.

"I didn't get all your thoughts. Just what they were about."

"You're saying?" Jeane asked impatiently.

"Simply put, the deepest and most emotional thoughts you have will be sensed by the other, in this case, me, even if you aren't aware. But I don't think all detailed thoughts are transmitted."

The boy took her silence as a confused answer. A thought flew towards Jeane.

'Does she not know I sensed her obsessive brother-complex but still not get what she was thinking about thirty seconds ago?'

Aureus had to jump several steps back as Jeane sliced the area where he stood in a flash.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" His voice, filled with fear, seemed to be ignored as she raised her weapon once more.

"OK! OK! I'm sorry. I won't speak of it again. Even think. Just put the sword down." The boy pleaded out loud as he stood a good three meters from Jeane, both arms raised in surrender.

After a while, the girl was finally able to calm down. After a few more minutes of silence for reconciliation, Reus was finally forgiven before the girl had exacted whatever inhumane punishment that swirled in her thoughts. The two then began sharing their thoughts, albeit a bit literally.

"We should get going. We already wasted too much time here. We have to go and find the temple and get our relic."

'No. I want to search for Shei. You said they crashed somewhere around the lake, right? It wouldn't take long for us to go back and see if they need help.'

'...' he gave the girl a sceptical look while thinking in silence.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just trying to get a read on you."

'And just how do you find me?' sarcastically throwing the thought.

"I don't know." The boy gave a sceptical look. "You're pretty thoughtful of others."

'Thank you–'

'But you're also poorly incompetent.'

"... And just... how am I... incompetent?" Her tone was filled with a little hostility and irritation.

"For one, you want to go back and check on them. That's a good thing." Reus spoke aloud. "But instead of searching for them, why don't we just go ahead and meet them at the temple instead?"

"But we don't know where the temple–"

"Exactly my point. We're farther north compared to the three. We should be able to scout the area and clear any Grimm along the way. It could make it easier for them if they have any wounded. And besides, don't you trust them?"

"It's not a matter of trust. What if they were disoriented from the crash like me?"

"Oh please," Reus was laughing. "Laus wouldn't even get a little dizzy with a dive like that. He wasn't called Atlas' Human Fortress for nothing."

"Either way, I can't take your word for it."

Jeane's expression darkened and she began stomping in the direction of the forest. She had almost reached the trees when,

'GET BACK! NOW!'

The sudden shout in her head, made her jump backwards on reflex.

'What now?' Jeane thought, throwing a glare in Reus' direction.

'IDIOT!' His thoughts creamed before he shouted out loud. "Don't look away in the middle of a fight!"

Snapping her attention forward, three Ursai made their appearance from the shadows of the trees. The big lumbering Grimm had been hiding behind the trees before Jeane nearly walked into the center one. Realizing her inattentiveness, the golden-haired boy threw a thought faster than sound.

"I'll take the left and center. You take the right." Jeane told her partner.

"Are you crazy?! You don't have much Aura left!"

'Just leave me be.'

Giving the boy her orders, Jeane pulled out her sword and charged at the two. Cutting the left one down with a single strike, she moved to end the other. However, the Grimm intercepted her attack and used a plate on its arm to block her attack.

Jeane retreated back a few feet before charging again. Changing her target to the unarmored knee on the Ursa's left flank, she slid on the forest floor to avoid its paw strike and slashed away. The Ursa then fell on the slashed leg, having lost its balance. Using its remaining leg, it turned to face Jeane as she slashed its neck with her sword. She watched the two defeated Grimm evaporate as she heard the other Ursa cry out in pain.

Facing her partner, currently in battle, he had chopped off the Grimm's right leg and left paw using the long sword-like weapon in his right hand. His weapon glowed golden under the midday sun, a long baton with a black and gold finger guards. The weapon seemed to radiate heat as segments of the body began rotating, each segment rotated at a different direction compared to the ones adjacent to it.

Walking over to the downed Ursa, Aureus swung his cylindrical club down on its head with an indifferent expression, causing the Grimm's mask to melt as the weapon slashed through it in a quick motion. Finished with his prey, Aureus walked toward Jeane's position. However, he stopped.

Jeane heard the growl. Looking behind her, a giant, black beast towered over her small figure. Its black fur was thick and covered in numerous white bony plates. Some of the plates at the back had spines as long as spears poking out. Its face plate had crimson marks like blood trails all over, gleaming golden eyes peeked out from behind. An Ursa Major has entered the field.

Dodging its first strike, Jeane rolled to the side. She switched the sword into its spear mode and drew a stance, the tip of her weapon pointed low, at the giant Grimm's belly. Just as the beast began swinging its giant paws at her, gunshots sounded from behind her and a few beams of light burned into the Ursa's leg, tripping the beast.

Aureus had switched his burning baton into what appeared to be a pistol-shaped weapon. The cylindrical tube had been bent forward, forming a long barrel, while the finger guard for the index finger unlatched itself and became the trigger. The only thing missing was the hammer for triggering the bullets. Regardless of this, the pistol shot more beams of light that seemed to burn the atmosphere. The Ursa, unamused by the ranged assault, got on all fours and charged the boy. He switched back to baton mode, ready to counter. Just as he was about to get crushed, he dive-rolled out of the way, slashing at the beast's left leg as he moved.

It made a deep cut but not enough for dismembering the limb. The Ursa, however, had ignored the pain. Stopping its charge, it faced him once more and charged again. Aiming for the other leg this time, he tried to repeat his roll. However, he hesitated while diving, as the sight of Jeane raising her spear to stab the beast entered his gaze. Time seemed to slow as she stood firmly where he was just a second ago, right at the Ursa's path. Before he could slash the leg, he sent her a thought.

'Get out of the way! You'll get crushed!'

'Leave this to me.' she thought back with a smile. "HYYYAAAAAA!"

With a battle cry, Jeane stabbed the oncoming beast as the center of its mass. Her attack didn't end there. Sending a stream of Aura up the shaft of the spear to its blade tip, she thrust her weapon with such a force that it blew a gap at the center of the Ursa's body. The transfer of the energy and Aura forced the Grimm's corporeal form to explode. Chunks of its mass flew all around. The spines scattered like fragments from a grenade, impaling into the ground and nearby trees.

Standing at the origin of the explosion, Jeane held her head up high. She had a proud grin on her face that said 'I killed this mighty beast'. Picking himself up and observing the aftermath of the explosion, Aureus was not amused. Covered in the Ursa's evaporating remains, the proud girl made an arrogant while facing him. Reus walked up to the girl, but instead of congratulating her, he began his scolding, to her surprise.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What? I killed it–"

"Before that! Why did you jump in front of it? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"What is your problem? We killed them all. It's done."

The boy let out a sigh before Jeane began walking into the forest again. Aureus chased after her. The twigs snapped underfoot as the two teens continued their trek while bickering and throwing around mental rants.

'Why do you have to be so selfless when it comes to fighting? Do you enjoy playing 'the knight'?'

"I'm not playing. I just want to end it quickly."

'Even so, that's not an excuse to pointlessly risk your life.'

"Why are you so worried? You're not my mother."

"I am your partner now." He said. "I have a duty to watch your back during a fight."

'Why'd you gotta be so stubborn?'

'I'm not,' she thought back. 'You're just persistent.'

'I'm only thinking of my partner's wellbeing, even if she is a complete self-sacrificing idiot.'

"Leave me alone. You're annoying."

'Says the girl who won't even listen to me when I'm talking to her.'

"Stop it with the telepathy already. You're annoying me."

'I won't stop it because I don't want to attract Grimm while scolding you.'

"Why do you have to choose the annoying way of doing things?"

'Do you have any other insults besides 'annoying'?'

"Shut up!"

'I wonder how your brother had to put up with a brat like you.'

"Leave my brother out of this."

'You are so not cute.'

"I never asked for your opinion."

"..."

"..."

'Where are you going?'

"To find the others."

"We need to scout the temple first."

"I don't care about some godforsaken temple."

'Do you even know where you're going?'

"Yes. I am going south."

"That's east."

"..."

'You're lost, aren't you?'

"Shut up. I know what I'm doing."

Needless to say, the newly formed pair of blondes in the forest wasn't what one would call a decent partnership. The two continued their walk, one-sidedly scolding and one-sidedly giving the other a headache. Yet, for some reason, Jeane felt like she was forgetting something. And this brought her even more frustration.

The two continued their argument up until they found a clearing. The forest canopy had opened up above them, revealing a clear blue sky. Remnant's sun shone brightly amidst a few clouds as the wind blew a cool breeze through the branches of the Grimm-infested forest.

"We should rest." Reus spoke up. "Catch our breath for a sec."

"No." Jeane disagreed. "We keep moving."

"Could you at least relax for a minute?" Reus sat down on a nearby boulder as he rested his legs. "You haven't recovered your Aura reserves yet."

"I need to find them before any Grimm does." Jeane started investigating their surroundings.

"You still worried about the others? You don't have to. Laus is with them. If you ask me, they're pretty much better off compared to us."

"Speak for yourself. You may be able to trust your friend's strength, but I don't want to take any chances."

"Wait." Reus got up from his seat.

"If you're going to stop me–"

'SSSHHH!' he shushed her via telepathy.

"What now?" she asked.

With a hand gesturing absolute silence, Reus slowly moved closer to Jeane's position. He drew the compact handle of his baton and snapped it once to whip out the thick cylindrical club. Just as he reached her spot at the center of the clearing, they heard them.

Twigs snapped underfoot. Bushes were being pushed aside. The growling and barks that followed soon after identified their ambushers. A huge pack of Beowolves emerged from behind the shadows of the forest. Mouths drooling with hunger, the beasts had them surrounded.

Scanning their predicament, Reus tried to relay his plan to Jeane.

'I'll make an opening. Run as fast as you can after I give the signal. Are you ready–? No! Wait!' "STOP!"

He ended up yelling as the blonde girl ignored him and charged the enemy before her. She snapped Caerula Vitae into its sword form and began hacking her way through, sending heads and torsos flying.

Decimating the closest Grimm after dispatching the other, she killed eleven within the first thirty seconds of the encounter. She sent her Aura through the blade, sharpening the bluish steel blade to perfection. Her consecutive thrusts and slashes, powered by Aura as well, flowed with a graceful fashion befitting a performer on the dance floor.

Taking her limited reach in consideration, three of the monsters leapt at her, aiming to end her as quickly as she was ending their brethren. Two, appearing to be smarter than the others, circled behind her. Countering the sudden offensive from above and behind, she quickly snapped her weapon to spear form, impaling the first to leap at her. She then twisted her upper body. Sweeping the tip of the spear to the side with one Grimm still attached, she cleared all of her aerial attackers. She turned to face the ones behind her. Thrusting the blade tip, she skewered the torso of one and the head of the other, killing the second by charging through the first. By the time she had killed twenty, Aureus had already cleared an escape route and was fighting to keep it open.

'Let's go! Now!' transmitted the boy.

"Fine! Quit your whining!" yelled the girl.

Turning to his direction, she closed the distance between them by using several Grimm as stepping stones. Landing by Reus' side, she darted into the brushes, followed by her partner. Running as fast as they could through the thick mesh of branches and twisted trunks, the two had almost evaded the remaining Beowolves. However,

"OW!"

Snagging her hair on one of the low-lying branches, Jeane slowed her pace. With a hand to her hair, she checked and stopped dead in her tracks.

'It's gone! It's gone? Where is it?!' Reus felt the sudden alarm of emotions.

Turning in the direction of his partner, he found Jeane running back from where they came.

"You have got to be kidding me!" The thought was directed at himself, the boy charged after her.

'Where? The branch pulled on it. The ground?'

Looking down, a black ribbon had fallen on the grass. Reaching to pick it up, she failed to notice the claw aimed at her head. Realizing too late, what happened next turned her white as a sheet.

Golden locks pulled back by a single red headband centered her vision. Using his left hand to push the claw away from her face, the boy's left shoulder met the drool-covered maw full of razor sharp teeth.

Gritting his teeth in agony, Aureus spun his baton with a golden light and beheaded the beast on his shoulder, releasing the Grimm's tight grip. Blood sprayed on the forest floor as he winced in pain. But it was far from over. The other beasts began to charge. He switched to range mode and shot at the heads of the nearest Beowolves. He aimed to reduce the number of chasers while temporarily blocking their path with their slow evaporating corpses.

After killing about a third of them, Reus took the fallen black ribbon from the ground. It was covered in dark crimson like the earth around it. He turned to run, pulling up a motionless Jeane from her knees as he went.

"Let's go!" he cried.

Hearing his voice, Jeane started to follow, albeit a bit shaken up.

After a few minutes of running, the temple came into view at the next clearing. Stone pillars and a rune-covered foundation stood tall in the center of the field. Weapons littered the mossy pedestals. Exhausted, Reus approached the temple. Pacing behind him, Jeane was panting heavily.

"These...Haah ... must be the relics." He said, breathing heavily. "We should hurry... Haaah...and choose one."

Approaching the nearest pedestal, Jeane analyzed the mounted blade. It was a one-handed, long sword. Rust covered the tip. The guard and blade appeared to be dented in several areas. The grip was dusty and needed a polishing. Despite its appearance, she took the weapon with her free hand and gave it a swing. It was of perfect length. Thinking she could use it as a spare, she held it with her left hand.

"How... How's your shoulder?" she heaved a breath.

"It's fine for now." He tried to raise his left arm to prove his point. "The bleeding's slowed– AAHH!"

"What's wrong?!"

"Heheh. It got me good." He squirmed as he kneeled on the stone floor. "My shoulder's dislocated. Good thing it's not my main arm."

He made a wry smile while Jeane leaned closer and examined the bleeding bite wound.

"We need to get you to the hospital!" she tried looking around for help but quite suddenly remembered that they were in the middle of Initiation.

"There's no way I'm pulling out of this now!" He said adamantly. "Even I have my reasons for coming this far."

"But you can't fight like this! You've lost a lot of blood."

"It doesn't matter. You heard the headmaster." Reus continued. "No matter what happens, the instructors will be watching us, but they won't get involved."

'Damn that Ozpin.' The thought flew through Jeane's head.

'You're lucky only I can read your mind.' Reus threw a mischievous smile.

Jeane made him lean his back on a pedestal as she examined the bitten area. The leather must have absorbed most of the force as there was now a ripped mess on his shoulder. The bite wound had almost shredded his skin through the vest. The scarlet trimmings around the armhole had turned bloody crimson with some of the blood drying on his skin. Reus' forehead was dripping with sweat as he slumped on the ground in pain.

Another howl echoed through the woods.

"Tch. More of them." She scowled.

Jeane's gaze started darting around. She was looking for a place where they could hole up to avoid getting surrounded again. Her sights arrived just north of their position. A mountain peeked above the tree line. She remembered something from one of the letters Jaune had sent them. Giving the blonde an idea, she nodded in momentary satisfaction.

"Come on." She pulled him to his feet. "Let's get to that mountain."

"What? AAHH!" Reus winced while grinning. "You want to get to higher ground now? Don't tell me you don't know which way the cliffs are."

Even in pain, he manages to make Jeane's blood boil out of sarcasm. She promised herself to get back at the boy after they got out of this alive, earning Reus a strange shiver to crawl down his spine.

The two started to make their way to the foot of the mountain. Winding past trees and jumping over tangled roots, the blonde pair swiftly darted through the woods. The cave mouth became visible after they got past a fallen tree. The area was littered with smashed trunks and crushed boulders. It was as if something tore their way through the place in a rush. The markings on the stone wall caught Jeane's eye first.

"Brother was right." She traced the stone art with her fingers. "Let's go through here. We should be safe from the Beowolves at least."

"Whoa! Hold up." Reus became skeptical. "How can you sure there's no Grimm in there."

'My brother wrote to me about how he passed Initiation.' The sudden transmitted thought caught the boy by surprise.

'Then why the telepathy?'

'He had to leave out major details in case of Ozpin was screening letters, but he told me through a code only we know. Jeane made a proud smile.

'You siblings sure do stick together.'

Ignoring the comment, Jeane continued.

'My brother and his friends were able to get rid of the Grimm that hid itself here.' She referred to the scorpion-like drawing. 'This place should be safe for the time being.'

"Fine. I'll trust you on this one."

A howl and several growls sounded from the trees, signalling that their pursuers had caught up. Jeane readied her sword and the relic, waiting for the enemy to make the first move. She planned on dual-wielding both swords if needed.

A pack of Beowolves emerged. There were over forty and more continued to pop out of the bushes and trees on all sides. One of the beasts, a big one, revealed itself. An Alpha Beowolf with a cracked mask towered over the others as if they were pups. The mask revealed only one glowing eye on the left side. The claws it used to paw the ground were covered with bladed spikes. Howling once more, it called forth more of its pack.

"Let's pull back into the cave for now." Jeane was slowly moving towards the cave's entrance. "If we narrow down their assault to one path, we could get an advantage–."

"RAAAAAAAHHHHHRRR"

The Alpha leapt at the pair, claws aimed for their jugulars. Its pack followed the charge. The two readying their weapons, prepared to fight. However, the following stopped all activity, human and Grimm alike.

"HHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

BAAAM

Quicker than the eye could see a figure dropped from the sky and pummelled the Alpha from above. On one fell swoop, the leader of the pack was crushed into a pile of black and red mush. The other members of the pack all stopped and growled at the gatecrasher. The falling meteor lifted a giant club-like weapon out of the Grimm's remains and mounted it on her shoulder like a bat. The strange weapon had a long gray shaft with multiple black cylindrical pipes at the end. Each pipe had a small rock attached to the connecting point to the shaft. Each rock was glowing with a different color, not one was similar. The shaft itself had a few hand grip-shaped levers that were attached nearest to the piped end. Its total length was over the height of its wielder by two heads.

The teenage girl who carried the seemingly heavy hardware calmly approached the two motionless blondes with a steady pace, as if the weight of her weapon didn't matter. She took off the pair of metal mesh goggles and placed it around her neck. Its dark orange band matched her long, sleeveless trench coat that was buttoned-up at her chest down to the waist with her hood hanging down her back. Wearing white gloves that reached up to the elbows, her bottom consisted of black short shorts and knee-length black combat boots.

Noticing only after the girl left the smoke of her crash, the blondes grasped that she was a Faunus. The approaching girl's dark orange hair was partially tied to the back of her head while the rest of her locks flowed freely behind her to end in white at the tips. Tall pointed ears stood proudly at the top of her head while her large fox tail swung under her trench coat. Like her hair, her Faunus characteristics started with dark orange fur and ended in white. Hanging off of her shoulder with a chain strap, a thick worn-out, hard-cover book hung by her side.

"Whew. You two doin okay?" The fox girl wiped the sweat of her brow.

Snapping out of their daze, Jeane replies with a "Yes, just a scratch." while mentally sending 'Who in the world is she?' to Reus.

The boy simply replied with an 'I have no idea.' before the fox girl turned and called in the direction of the smoke.

"They say they're fine, Seika!"

Looking back at the crash site, several of the Grimm had begun bursting into crimson flames. Another tall girl with long black hair tied over her shoulder nimbly pounced from Beowolf to Beowolf. Leaving the fray of smouldering Grimm, the tall girl moved toward the group in their surrounded spot before the mouth of the cavern. The yellow shoe laces of her black running shoes became gray by running through the burning carcasses of Grimm. Her black running pants were covered in soot and ash. Donning a yellow robe-like garment, her long crimson sleeves flowed like water as she leapt past the last Beowolf between them. On her wrists, a pair of silver gauntlets with long protruding claws reflected the firelight. The claws were linked together by a long red sash that she wore over her shoulders. The sash ran through the wrist joint of the gauntlets and seemed to emanate a fiery glow. Dusting herself as she landed beside her partner, she acknowledged the two blondes with a bow.

"Nice to see that you two are all right." She gave the two a smile. "Kahel, there's too many of them. Your break-in attracted several packs nearby as well."

"Eeeehhh?! I was trying to be delicate about it too." She whined.

"A large explosion from a single attack doesn't contain any delicacy, Kahel." The girl named Seika said with a wry smile.

"Dammit. So, what's the plan?"

"We can't fight them all and waiting for help isn't an option."

"So we run, huh."

The blondes remained silent at two's exchange until three Beowolves launched a surprise attack. Reacting in a fluid motion, Jeane and the fox named Kahel repelled the Grimm. Kahel's pipe-tipped club smashed two of them away. Jeane tore the third limb from limb, using hers and the relic sword like massive shears. However, one of the spiny limbs she tore off flew past their defence. It flew towards Aureus, who reflexively raised his left hand to block. Shouting out in pain, the spine ripped open his forearm. The wound gushed out fresh blood as he fell on one knee.

"Gaahh!"

"Reus!" Kneeling beside him, she gripped his arm as gently as she could, trying to stop the bleeding from overflowing. "We should go! Now!"

"Agreed." Seika faced her partner. "Kahel?"

"Cover fire?"

"Please do."

Jeane helped him up while requesting for help from the other two. Seika lifted him on one shoulder while Jeane took the other. Defending their back, Kahel gripped her club with both hands, ready to swing at any oncoming foes. The surrounding Grimm now numbered over sixty and more were still gathering from the trees. She had already put on her goggles, taking a few steps back to match the trio's retreat. Reaching the mouth of the cave, Kahel pulled back one of the lever hand grips attached to the green stone's pipe with her right hand.

"It's shredding time, you little freaks." Muttering a statement to herself, she held her weapon like one would grip a minigun, with the barrel aimed at the Grimm. With a single squeeze on the flat trigger attached to the shaft, a large blast of air blew out of the pipe. The wind turned into a gale as she continued to repeatedly squeeze the trigger. The storm sent trees and stones flying in the direction of the large pack at high velocity. Some of the Beowolves were impaled by tree shrapnel. Others were perforated by Mach speed pebbles. A few were killed by being stabbed with their own brethrens claws and spikes.

"KAHEL! WE'RE CLEAR!"

She heard Seika's cry over the sound of the wind. Letting go of the trigger, she rushed into the cavern after them. But the surviving Beo's took this as their cue and rushed after the teenagers. Just she was about to fire another wind blast, a beam of light shot from inside and burned through the stones above Kahel's head. She immediately understood and pulled back further. With the roof of the entrance crumbling, she launched a shot at the Grimm that got past the cave in, sending the beast flying into the newly formed wall.

There was silence. And then there was rumbling. The tunnel they were in started cracking from above. Rocks and stalactites started dropping. Panicking, the teens started to run further inside while letting out complaints.

"I thought you said closing the entrance was a good idea?!" Reus yelled to his partner.

"Oh shut up!" Jeane yelled back. "It's not like I planned for this to happen!"

"You DIDN'T think this far ahead?!"

"So what?! You didn't either!"

"Are you two really partners?" the fox joined in.

"Kahel," scolded Seika with a smile. "It's not right to interrupt a lover's spat."

""WHO AR YOU CALLING LOVERS""

Their shouts echoed as they ran down the collapsing hall.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES: First and foremost, SORRY FOR THE DELAYED UPDATE**_

 _ **Ahhh, when school starts back up, time kinda just passes by and you can't do anything about it. The bad part about having classes for six days straight is that any future updates are sure to be delayed. That is why I would like to apologize in advance for any and every delay starting today.**_

 _ **As compensation, I made this chapter approximately 30% longer than my longest chapter: Chapter 4. Writing over 10,000 words is nothing compared to the hellish guilt I built up over not uploading this sooner. I promised myself that I would rather eat a thousand flaming needles than quit writing this story.**_

 _ **On another note, the next chapter would be the last for Initiation. Then we could move on to daily life, autumn festivals, a couple of missions and maybe the Vytal festival. Once again, I would like to apologize to the readers who have visited the story the past week, expecting updates. I would quit school to focus on writing but if I did . . . . . . . . . . Let's just say I don't want my family issues to get more . . . complicated.**_

 _ **Last note. If you find any inconsistencies or errors, you can PM me and I'll get right on it. If you have any suggestions, send it to me so that I may put it into consideration. Thank you all once again for reading and I hope to see you all again next time.**_


	8. Chapter 7: Scattered Spelunking

A cold, gentle breeze wafted past the four teens that were currently trudging in the dark tunnels. Three of the four were unaffected by the drop in temperature. The exception being Shei, who warmed herself with the light of the crystal attached to her staff. The glowing gem illuminated their path as they made their way through the complex maze of tunnels.

Guarding the rear of the group, Laus enjoyed the cool breeze that reminded him of home. The tunnel was restrictive, bearing the fact he couldn't draw his lance. Fran walked beside Shei, her intricate compound bow and large quiver slung over her shoulders. Taking the lead of their group was Rudy. It wasn't obvious, but he had been in a seemingly elated mood ever since they entered the caves.

The hole they had blasted open lead to a small chamber filled with smashed pottery and numerous wall paintings. Rudy had taken out a small camera when he saw the relics and had been continuously documenting all of the paintings they came across in the tunnels that followed. Although he had to lean on his rod for supporting his injured leg, it didn't seem to deter his inquisitive behaviour. Almost missing the positive change in her partner, Shei struck up a conversation with the boy in the black beret.

"You seem awfully excited about this."

"I apologize for my enthusiasm." Although his tone and expression remained the same, his attentiveness to photographing the walls said otherwise. "It's just that the study of an ancient civilization is part of my hobbies. It astounds me that there are people that could make an amazingly complex tunnelling system for their homes without the aid of complex machinery like we have today."

"It's fine if you're enjoying yourself," Laus spoke up. "Just keep in mind that we have to find the others first."

He felt their gazes as he reminded them of their top priority. One looked with admiration for his words. The other gave a regretful yet understanding nod. The third felt familiar but only watched him with interest.

"I understand." He continued his documentation. "But don't you find it impressive as well? To complete this many tunnels, they must've taken years, maybe decades, just to finish a fraction of the entire system."

"Wouldn't the process be quicker if the population were large enough?" asked Fran. Rudy examined the next painting beside the entrance to a separate chamber.

"Yes, it would," Rudy traced the wall painting of a serpent with two heads before snapping a picture. "If they weren't overwhelmed by the Grimm, that is."

Shei examined the wall Rudy had finished studying before walking ahead. Two long snake-like creatures surrounded a small group of human-shaped stick figures. They held sticks like weapons, defending themselves in vain as a few serpent heads gobbled up the people. Shei continued walking, trying not to think of the terrible things that happened to the people who used to live here.

"How do you think the people in the past managed to survive until the Dust Age?" Fran raised another question.

"I can only guess that they used naturally-made caves as temporary shelters before even those became death traps," Rudy answered.

"Death ... traps?" asked Shei nervously.

"Prior to the discovery of the power of Dust, people lived in hiding. Using the environment to their advantage was one of the greatest innovations at the time. Dust wasn't used similarly to how we do today and was more of an ornament back then." Rudy stopped walking after they arrived at another entrance to another larger chamber. The stone room had more wall paintings; a few of them almost covered the entire wall. "However, even as our ancestors learned how to survive by wielding Dust, so did the creatures they so feared."

"What do you mean?" Fran inquired.

Rudy pointed at the nearest wall painting within the chamber. Depicted on the stone in a black dye, a small cave mouth opened up. Beside the entrance, a few stones hid the hole from the view of nearby Beowolves. Next to the cave, people sat around a small fire. One of them held up a red-painted stone.

"What is... this about?" Shei responded curiously.

"Man learned to use Dust in more practical ways. While hiding from the Grimm, they discovered the potential power of the stones." After explaining, his words seemed to carry a more apathetic tone. "But even then, they were still helpless. Look at the images beside it."

Following Rudy's finger, Fran spotted another painting of the stones that covered the entrance. The stones here had long sticks drawn to their sides. Two thicker sticks seemed to grow at one end, each with a white, scissor-shaped appendage. A longer, slender stick was drawn on the other end. This one had a golden bulb as the tip. Recognizing the primordial illustration of a Deathstalker, the hooded girl realized what Rudy was getting at.

"To effectively hunt down more humans, Grimm had also grown adept at the concept of stealth. Not only did they grow more cunning, they developed a sense of self-preservation. Acting similarly to a stone, burrowing underground, even merging to form packs, the Grimm managed to create more efficient techniques to hunt humans down." Rudy proceeded to direct their sights to the images that followed.

The image next to the Deathstalker was that of the massacre that followed. Facing a painting of red filled with despair, Shei was forced to look away. Laus' face shifted as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. Fran had shuddered at the sight before giving a glance at Rudy. Out of all the teens, he stood there with the least affected expression as he leaned on his rod. Stepping out of the stone room, he started skimming through the photos he took while waiting for the three. Regaining their composure, they continued their search.

"How long do you think these tunnels have been abandoned?" Laus asked aloud.

"Judging by the decayed state of the bones and the degraded state of the pottery, quite a while," answered Rudy. "They must date back around a hundred to two hundred years back."

"How can you be so sure?" Fran asked, a bit skeptical.

"I studied palaeontology and geology under my father. I also dabbed a bit of archaeology while I was at it." Rudy examined the walls of the tunnel as they walked. "Finding the age of bones and other ancient artifacts is one of many skills required in each of the three fields."

"Is your father a historian?" Laus questioned.

"He was a researcher." Rudy replied. "He used to study the origins of Dust and their properties."

The hunter and knight pair were quite impressed with his answer. However the short mouse perceived a curious use of grammar.

"...Used to?" She pondered.

Rudy glanced at her golden eyes and the Dust tip of her staff before he replied.

"He was imprisoned on the continent of Menagerie when I was around the age of eight."

"...On what charges?" Laus' question felt as if the discussion was entering a sensitive area.

"He received a sentence of imprisonment for the duration of around ten or so years for attacking several underage Faunus residents."

The black bereted boy's calm and almost uncaring reply took the trio off guard. As he aimed his camera at another larger painting, the other three made their own reactions.

Fran fidgeted at his answer. Shei's ears and tail perked up in alarm. Laus simply furrowed his brows. Rudy resumed the walk with an unfazed pace, limping lightly along the tunnel. His actions seemed to indicate that he didn't care one bit about disclosing such information. Shei, now more anxious about her partner, decided to probe dangerously further.

"Why did he... do such a thing?"

The empty silence that followed most likely meant that he didn't want to talk about it.

"What happened to him in court?" Fran rushed the question. The concern was obvious in her voice.

"There was no trial." Rudy replied. "My father requested that I, his son, be adopted by a friend of his before wholeheartedly accepting his sentence while pleading guilty. He was quite adamant that I wasn't taken in by anyone else. After that, I was adopted by that colleague of his and his wife and moved to Mistral where they lived and had been in their custody until I applied for Beacon."

"What about your mother?" Fran interjected.

He examined a shattered stone pot on the side before answering.

"Luckily, she died long before the incident ever happened."

The green hood fell silent as she realized the rudeness of her query.

"...Have you...talked with your father...about why he didn't resist?" the timid question came from the little mouse next to him.

"No."

"...No?"

"My father refused to talk about anything relating to his arrest when I first came to visit. I didn't want to upset him so I never asked about it again."

The group continued their trek in silence. Footsteps and dripping sounds bounced of the painted walls of the tunnel. Conflicted between digging deeper and invading her partner's personal space, Shei broke the silence.

"You're so...calm about all that happened."

"I won't deny that it bothered me as a child, but I can't let what happened in the past to get me down." Rudy faced his partner as she lit the way beside him. "I have my own objectives that I need to fulfil before I see my father again."

Hearing his answer, the three felt slightly relieved. Knowing that the boy before them was more mature about the matter than they previously thought, they continued down the wet tunnels with a comforted pace.

"Your father...he must be proud of you." Shei said with a smile to her partner.

The young man looked at the smile and said in reply.

"I can only hope he is, now enough about me. We have to find your friends," Rudy reminded the trio of their real purpose for entering the mountain tunnels, ending the talk of his past. "The nature of these tunnels is similar to a few ruins that I have studied before in Mistral. They must lead into a central chamber at some point. If we can find that area, we should be able to trace a path back to the entrance at the foot of the mountain."

"Exactly how do we find that chamber then?" Fran posed her concern.

"The tunnels are built to grow smaller as they extend further away from the main source chamber."

"...Why would that be?" Shei became curious.

"The main chamber is a natural tunnel or room that the settlers had found and lived in for a time. To expand the amount of room needed for an ever-growing population, sub-chambers and tunnels leading to them had to be made. The work needed to carve the tunnels and navigation to the main chamber would be easier if the tunnels continued to shrink as you got further away." Rudy explained before taking a breather.

"Wait. How did you know they were shrinking?" Fran felt that her question was something of less than concern and more of a curiosity but asked anyway, seeing as the boy was in a better mood.

"The paintings on the walls," he nonchalantly replied. "The images that I examined along the way kept growing in size up until this tunnel. They could mean that more people congregated in the area compared to the smaller tunnels we came from."

"Sounds reasonable," replied Laus. "Like how public roads and highways are systematically arranged by volume of traffic."

"Correct. If more tunnels lead away from the main chamber, the settlers would require a more easily-remembered form of navigation and more space to move freely."

"Then we just follow the paintings until we find the largest one out there?" asked Fran.

"Yes."

"How long... will it take?" added Shei.

"At this pace, a couple of minutes."

"Then let's go." Laus said in a firm tone.

Just before they took another step from the spot, the ground rumbled slightly. A few stones danced on the floor as the earth shook with a low rumble. It stopped. Grabbing their bearings, the teens began looking around to see if they were all ok.

"Well," Rudy broke the silence. "Must've been a cave-in down the other tunnels. At least we're fine."

"Could it have been worse?" Fran replied.

As if to respond to her words, a loud bellow sounded from beyond the darkness. Throaty and rough, the roar made the tunnel shudder with a tremor. Stalactites and rocks dropped from the ceiling, piercing the stone floor that cracked beneath. Laus had expanded and raised his shield over the girls' heads, protecting them from the debris.

"Rudy! Over here!" Shei cried out to her partner.

Just before he could limp his way there, a large amount of rubble fell from the ceiling, clouding their sights in dust and dirt.

"Dammit!" The boy's voice sounded in the dust cloud.

"Rudy?!" Shei felt his panic.

"You three go on ahead!" He cried. "I'll find you guys later!"

"What're you–?!"

CRACK

The stone seemed to give in under foot in her partner's direction. As the dust just about cleared, the bereted boy was nowhere to be seen.

"RUDY?!"

Finding a hole where her partner had stood, Shei immediately readied her staff and approached the hole. Detaching her Dust crystal off with a click, she threw the small glowing stone in front of her friends' feet before leaping into the opening in the ground.

"Shei, No, WAIT!"

Before Fran could go after them, the ceiling started to collapse. Compared to the previous tremor, this one brought more than just dust and rock down on their heads. Fran tried to prepare herself to jump after them down the hole, but Laus was quicker on his feet. He first picked up the glowing Dust crystal and then grabbed Fran by the other hand, pulling her to safety as they moved down the tunnel.

"Wait! What about the other two?"

"No time! We have to move!"

The two continued to move down the dark tunnel as the hole that the pair fell into was immediately covered by the boulders from the ceiling. Followed reluctantly by the hooded hunter, the half-armored boy brought them to a stop at a new chamber. The ceiling had already stopped collapsing a few meters beyond the entrance. This gave the two some time to calm down before searching for a way out.

The room was dark. Water trickled down the stalactites above. All that could be heard was the sound of dripping and the pair's heavy breathing while their only source of light glimmered in the darkness. Getting up, Laus scanned the stone chamber using the golden stone. He spotted half a dozen exits, the one that seemed the largest located second from the left.

"If what Rudy said was true," he said. "Then all we have to do is search for the main tunnel before we can get out of here."

"What's that stone?" his partner asked.

"It's Shei's Dust crystal," he replied. "She threw it at us while going after Rudy."

"Then how will she be able to see in the–"

"Like you, she's a Faunus." he interrupted. "Her night vision must be good enough that she doesn't need it to see."

"Oh... Right..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing...Just... thanks... for keeping it a secret."

"I won't ask 'why' unless it's important." He responded. "I don't have a reason to tell anyone either, so your secret's safe with me."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He started walking towards what he expected to be the main tunnel. "Now, let's hurry and maybe we can find all four of them before sundown."

"Wait. What do you mean?"

"You haven't noticed?" He stopped and showed her his analog watch under his left gauntlet. "Since entering the mountain, we've been inside for at least two hours. Initiation started around noon and we even spent a lot of time searching the forest."

Giving a glance at the watch, Fran gasped.

"It's already 3PM."

"And because we lost the other two," he added. "We could be here a while. Worst case, we won't pass the test at all."

A little disheartened, Fran lowered her head. Her hood covered the troubled expression she wore. Just as she was about to cry out in frustration, a silver lining passed by her thoughts. No one at Beacon said anything about a time limit. Therefore there was no need to feel depressed about it. The Initiation wasn't a race anyway.

"Still, I doubt the teachers would start searching for us even if we don't get out of here by the end of the day."

"Eh?" Fran suddenly let out, confused.

"The headmaster said so himself, that they wouldn't interfere." Laus' tone was serious. "If we don't get back to the cliffs by nightfall, we'll probably be counted as killed in action."

"They wouldn't do that, would they?" Fran was even more doubtful of her own words.

"They threw us in a Grimm infested forest to test us, armed with only what weapons and equipment we brought with us. I doubt Ozpin was joking around when he said we could die."

"Then does that mean they'd leave us for dead?"

The thought left her lips before she could think about what she was saying. Her partner, however, remained silent. Left with the obvious response, Fran lowered her head once more. The panic was getting to her. She tried to stop her trembling shoulders to no avail. She didn't even hear the clinks of metal that bounced off the walls while approaching her.

PAT

She felt something touch the top of her hood. The texture and shaped couldn't be defined through the green leather, but the sideways movement affirmed it to be a hand. She suddenly noticed the glowing stone that he held in his other hand before she heard him say.

"Don't worry. We'll find them before that happens."

His tone was gentle. Unlike his previous words, these ones carried a far kinder tone. Nodding in affirmation, she felt him lift his palm off her head. He started walking down the main tunnel, while Fran, grateful for his words, followed closely behind.

"Thanks again."

"Anytime, partner."

Quite some time back, in a similar but separate tunnel, four other teens faced a one-sided standoff.

"Kahel! Put down your weapon!" A tall, long black-haired girl wearing yellow and red robes held one hand up to her fox partner with the other holding a torch in front of a messy blonde girl with two swords. The girl kept herself between the fox and the spiky-haired boy that sat on the stone floor behind her. Holding his left arm, he tried to pace his breathing.

"Now!" Seika kept a calm tone while reprimanding her partner.

"But he started it!" Kahel shot an accusation. Her eyes were darting around in a frightful frenzy, alternating glances at Reus and Seika.

"Kahel!" the tall girl's tone deepened a little. "He's injured and weak while you're armed. I won't ignore your actions even if he was at fault."

"But he... he... touched..." the fox was mumbling as her face became red with frustration and embarrassment.

"What did he do to you?" the monk girl calmly asked.

"He... he..."

"Kahel?"

"He...touched... He touched my tail!"

"..."

"..."

"Are you seriously threatening him for brushing a finger on your tail?" Jeane broke their silence. Her expression was that of disbelief.

"What do you mean 'brushed'? HE GRABBED MY TAIL!" Kahel shouted. Her tone was threatening, but it also sounded drained.

"So what? He fell and tried to grab something to balance himself up. What's wrong with that?" Jeane asked.

"Ahhh! Nevermind!" the fox lost it. "You're just a human! You couldn't possibly understand!"

"Kahel! He didn't do it on purpose." Seika stopped her partner from venting anymore anger. "Look at him. He's bleeding from the arm and shoulder. His situation is too critical for him to be doing anything of the sort."

The fox girl slowly calmed down before completely complying. She lowered her piped club. However, she kept her bared fangs exposed as she gave the boy an angry, and seemingly embarrassed, gaze. She kept her distance from the two blondes, sitting at the opposite side of the small cavern room they stopped at while running from the cave in.

The situation developed as follows. After the four teens ran through the cavern, trying to escape the collapsing tunnels, they found a fork with three different tunnels that broke off the main one. Checking the first to their right, the teens had found a swarm of Creeps lying in wait. Numerous and relentless, they ended up smashing a few leathery heads of the bipedal Grimm before moving on. At the end, they found the dead end at the end of the path. Signs of a cave in were apparent as what blocked the tunnel was a pile of boulders instead of a solid wall. The littered skeletons and hidden Creeps suggested that the owners of the shattered skeletal frames had been trapped and died at the hands, or in this case, jaws, of the reptilian Grimm. Getting nothing else but a pile of bones and a mountain of dissipating corpses, they returned to the junction.

Trying out the tunnel mouth to the left, they found a larger tunnel that seemed to incline downward. Taking the wide path, it opened up to a natural underground reservoir. Vast and seemingly deep from under the torchlight, the underground lake carried a dark and eerie feeling. The source of the water was a small stream that gushed out of a crack in the ceiling. The floor of the lake seemed to be covered with clay pottery and other old earthenware as well as numerous amounts of stone tools used by whoever used to live here. The only clue as to how old they were was their ancient design. Obviously inefficient when compared to modern technology, they moved on from their find.

Tired and hoping for a better find, they entered the last tunnel and discovered the large chamber they were resting in now. The stone room had a deep impression at the center with a few stones placed in a circle resembling a fire pit. Bench-like stones were lined along the walls of the chamber while paintings decorated the walls and ceiling above them. The place gave the air similar to a gathering hall or an amphitheatre. There were no exits other than the one they entered through. Their only source of light was a fire made from Aureus' Aura as he used his flow to burn a piece of wood they found before the entrance cave-in. It was currently held by Seika.

Currently seated on a stone-bench near the tunnel, Reus examined his injuries. Jeane sat by him as she tried to help him get a better look. The arm wound was covered in blood but had already stopped bleeding. The shoulder wound was the problem. It was healing before he suffered the arm wound but the bite marks hadn't completely closed up, leaving blood to seep out of the small holes that remained.

"I'm sorry about my partner." Seika approached the pair of blondes. "She's a nice girl, but she becomes a bit sensitive when it comes to her Faunus heritage."

"No," Reus replied, momentarily mesmerized by the two colors of her eyes. "It's my fault to begin with. I shouldn't have grabbed her tail, even if it was an accident."

'Tripping on a small pebble and grabbing the girl's tail, you're a complete idiot,' Jeane thought.

'And you are a slow witted brat that can't help but pick on me for every little thing,' mentally replied Reus.

The two blondes gave each other a glare of annoyance at the mental snaps. Seika, observing from the sidelines, misinterpreted their exchange.

"You two sure do get along well," she exclaimed. "We've only just formed partnerships today but the two of you seemed to be a well-matched pair."

""You're wrong!"" The duo's simultaneous reply only succeeded in giving the dark-haired, heterochromatic girl a completely wrong notion about their relationship.

"See?" Seika smiled while her blue and red eyes glinted under the torchlight.

"By the way, we haven't been formally introduced. Aureus Rex. This is my partner."

"Jeane Arc."

"Akanohi Seika. Over there is my partner," she motioned to the corner.

"Kahel... Grenard..." The fox girl mumbled while trying not to make eye contact.

Seika laughed wryly at her pair's awkward introduction before turning her concern to Reus' injuries.

"How's your shoulder?"

"It's dislocated," he replied. "If I could just put it back– Hey! What're you–AAAGGGHHH!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Seika took the initiative of popping his joint back in its socket, making Reus cry out in surprise.

"How's that?" she asked.

"F... Fine actually." Surprised by the sudden relief of his joint being back in place, a smile replaced his pained expression. "How did you–?"

"Oh it's nothing, really. My fathers taught me that one can increase their combat and medical capabilities just by studying the anatomy of every living creature on Remnant."

"Wait," Jeane interrupted. "You have more than one father?"

"Oh no!" Seika corrected. "I'm an orphan. The monks that live in a temple West of Mistral run an orphanage. They also teach self-defence and medicine. Do you need something to wrap your wound?"

"No. I go it."

Reus moved his gloved hands to undo the sash on his waist but he faced an obstacle. His left arm was numb from being put back. He couldn't move his left hand's fingers. Feeling her partner's frustrated emotions, Jeane, with all the 'goodness' of her heart, decided to help.

"Here. Let me."

She untied the small knot keeping the long fabric secured to his waist. The soft cotton's texture felt comfortable to the Arc girl's finger tips. The crimson shade it bore felt nostalgic as well. It was as if she had seen it before. She wrapped the scarf around his shoulder and arm nice and tight, careful not to restrict his left arm's blood flow.

"How's this? Too loose?"

"Too tight is more like it."

She tightened the knot further.

"Ow." Reus winced. "Be careful with that."

"What?" Jeane teased. "Can't handle a little pain?"

"It's not that. Don't pull on the scarf too hard. You're going to rip it."

"Worried more about a piece of cloth, is it that important?"

"..."

Jeane stopped her teasing and sat beside Aureus, finding no joy in beating down the injured boy any further. Keeping a reasonable distance, her gaze moved to the cold floor that shone with a dark orange by the torchlight. The chilly stone reminded Jeane of the feelings she felt when she came down from the sky. Sadness, regret, the fear of dying alone in the cold hands of darkness. These feelings came flooding as she remembered her slip-up and how many times she came close to dying in just a single day.

Her father had taught her how to fight monsters and defend people. But she never learned how to fend off fear. She remembered how she always stood behind her brother whenever their parents had their minor arguments. Although they only yelled at each other about things that didn't even concern their children, she always felt the pain as if she was the one they were mad at. When it came to animals, dogs that only tried to protect their homes always sent Jeane to hide behind her brother. Fear had tormented her even as Jaune explained that the dog was the one scared of her.

'That time, when I fell from the sky, this guy saved me.' She gave a quick glance at Reus who had pulled out his weapon and started inspecting it. 'Even after he told me to leave. Why risk his life to save mine?'

Not getting anywhere by thinking on her own, she decided to ask. Making sure the other two were out of earshot, she took a deep breath.

"Hey."

"What now?"

"Thanks." Jeane talked while staring at the floor.

"About what?"

"For saving my life," she faced him. "I owe you for today."

The boy turned to face his partner. Her tone was serious and her ice-blue eyes emanated honesty. He turned back to clicking his baton into pistol form.

"Don't worry about it." Reus snapped the guard open, revealing a pair of smoking tubes concealed within a compartment inside the hilt. "You don't owe me anything."

"But I do," Her tone was now determined, as if waiting for his consent. "You saved me twice since we were launched from the cliffs. I will not rest until I am able to pay you back."

"You seriously do like to play the 'knight', don't you?" He replaced the cylinders with a new pair he took out of his pants pocket.

"I don't care what you may call it. I live to protect my friends and family. I don't want anything else."

"Does that mean you would give everything for the people you care for?"

"Yes. Even if I have to give my life protecting the people I–"

"It's that kind of attitude that makes you a danger to yourself and anyone unlucky enough to receive your care." His blunt tone carried a threatening air that stopped the girl from continuing her statement. "Give everything? Does that mean you won't take anything in return?"

"My brother's happiness is all I need." Her dauntless words persisted. "I don't mind playing the fool as long as Jaune is content."

"Then tell me this." He stood up and looked down on the girl, digging a hand into his pocket. "How do you think your brother would feel if he saw this and was told you were gone?"

He threw a small piece of fabric on her lap. The dark crimson that dyed the black cloth could be seen under the dim torchlight. The sight of it made Jeane's heart twinge. Her ribbon, the gift from her twin that she treasured most, lay on her lap, wrinkled and dirty.

"When did you–"

"A shoulder for a ribbon," he said mockingly with a smile. "Honestly not one of the best exchanges I've made in my life, but it's important to you, isn't it?"

'Ahh. That's right.' she thought. 'I dropped it when we were trying to get away from the Beowolves. But while I was looking for it, I panicked and almost died. That time, he...'

"Don't lose it next time, or else it won't end with just a flesh wound–"

"I'm sorry."

"Eh?" his smile disappeared as a change in the girl's voice took place.

"I'm sorry." Jeane's voice croaked.

"About what?"

"It's my fault... You were hurt... because of me." Her voice was low and was nearing tears, completely different from her gallant attitude a while ago. "Because I went back... you...you... I'm sorry..."

'Oh damn. She's gonna cry. This is the second time. I only met her a few days ago and now I made the girl cry twice.' The blonde boy's thoughts flew into a panic. Meanwhile, Jeane had both hands covering her face as she made a futile attempt at hiding her crying face.

'Ah crap. She's crying. What do I say? What should I say? Laus is gonna drop down laughing when he finds out. What to do? What to do?'

Even as part of his train of thought ran past Jeane, the Arc was too immersed in trying to stop her tears that she failed to notice.

'Ah screw it! I'll wing it.'

"Hey..." he called out.

She sniffled, snot was about to drop.

"That's not what you should say."

Jeane looked up curiously as she stifled a sob. Her eyes were red. Twin streaks of tears fell on either side of her cheeks. Her hair was a mess. Wait. Scratch that. It was already a mess.

"Haaah," he sighed. "When someone finds something of yours, you don't say 'I'm sorry' over and over."

"Why... not?" The childish question was kinda cute.

"The apology loses its meaning when you say it all the time."

"Then..." she sniffled. "What should... I say?"

Reus paused for a while, unsure of what to say. Then he remembered. 'There was that time...'

'That time, she was reckless, always working hard to the point of hurting herself. And when Dad started scolding her, she would cry like a child. Well, she was a child back then. We both were. But every time he got mad at her for working too hard, she would come crying to me for comfort. Even though I was worried for her like Dad, I didn't want her to cry anymore. What was that I told her to say?'

Jeane's sobs were stifled but audible. The other two sitting opposite them seemed to notice as well. Just as Seika was about to approach the blonde duo, Reus broke his silence.

"Thank you..."

"Huh?"

"You say 'thank you'. To let the other person know that you're grateful they worried about you and that you're sorry for letting them."

His words made her regain her composure. She wiped the tear streaming down her cheek, not wanting the boy before her to see her weak appearance.

"Thank you."

"That's more like it." He smiled while internally sighing in relief. "Heheheh. What'dya know? Even though you act like a 'knight', you're a real cry-baby when someone gets hurt."

"Shut up." Her tone was quiet but it carried a slightly more lightened tone. A small smile crept up to her face. "It's a habit. Can't change it immediately."

"You look more like a girl this way."

"Shut up. I am a girl."

His grin wasn't as arrogant as it was before. In fact, the smile seemed to carry the same warmth Jaune had when he played the 'older brother'.

'He's a nice guy at heart. Kinda reminds me of Jaune. But he's still stupid compared to brother.'

'Just for the record, I can still hear you, ya' know?'

His unexpected mental reply caught the lady knight off guard. Lowering her head, her face turned as red as the fire light. Noticing the sudden silence, Reus leaned close to examine her expression but was met midway by the palm of her glove in his face.

"Wha da herr er ya doi?" His muffled question was answered with a hard force of his face being pushed back.

"You're too close, idiot!"

Getting up to sitting on the floor, he rubbed the back of his head as he mentally commented with a mischievous grin.

'Violent brat.'

'Nosy pineapple.'

'Dumb blonde.'

'You're one too.'

The two ended up bursting in laughter. Since the situation seemed to have resolved itself, Seika returned to her seat beside Kahel.

"You're not gonna check on them?" The fox asked.

"I'm more worried about you." She said with a smile. "How's your tail?"

"It's not hurt or anything. He just grabbed it suddenly that it surprised me."

Seika giggled before continuing.

"If he 'just grabbed' it, why were you so jumpy?"

Kahel didn't reply. Instead, she avoided her partner's gaze.

"Wanna talk about it?"

She shook her head in reply.

"Is it a private matter?"

She shook her head yet again.

"Is it really that embarrassing?"

"It's just..."

Seika leaned closer to listen.

"It's just that I'm a bit tired... right now," she said, red with embarrassment.

"You didn't get enough sleep last night?" Seika asked.

Nodding slowly, Kahel hid her face behind her hands. Seika sat back and leaned on the stone wall behind her.

"Basically," she raised a finger. "You didn't recover completely when you woke up this morning, causing you to be slightly tired and jumpy. Hence the overreaction to when he touched your tail."

"Please!" Kahel was begging while her palms covered the entirety of her face. "Don't remind me."

"It's nothing to be worried about. A lot of warriors on the battlefield experience stress and start overreacting every once in a while."

"But I almost attacked him for it–"

"But you didn't." Seika interrupted. "You have done nothing wrong and there is nothing to worry about so calm down and let it go."

Kahel inhaled heavily for a couple of seconds and let it all out in the next. She finally stopped trembling and revealed her face from behind her palms.

"Are you ok now?"

She nodded in affirmation.

"... Thank you... for worrying about me..."

"Don't worry about thanking me. But I think it'd be better if you cleared it up with Aureus instead of me. He is the one you threatened."

Kahel nodded in reply.

The peaceful atmosphere that had settled in the stone chamber suddenly disappeared as a small tremor occurred. All four teens got up from their seats and drew their weapons ready. The tremor passed after a while. Before any of the four could lower their guard, a heavy growl shook the chamber. It was hoarse and loud and the quake that soon followed sent cracks running through the stone floor around them. Some of the cracks had climbed up the walls. Just as the chamber stopped shaking, the cracks on the floor began fanning out. The sound of shattering stone could be heard from above as well.

"GET OUT! NOW!" Both Reus and Seika drew the obvious conclusion and grabbed their partner's hands while running for the tunnel junction.

The floor began to give away under their feet as the four of them started to run from the collapse. The two blondes made it just fine. Jeane took a look back to find the other two. However, the last thing her eyes saw under the torchlight was a haze of orange and yellow that dropped down to the abyss below.

"Let's go!" Noticing his partner's concern, Reus tugged on her shoulder. "The tunnel is about to collapse."

"But–!"

"Later!" he said. "We'll find them later. I promise. But first we have to get out!"

Just as they started running away, the tunnel ceiling broke off and started to seal the only entrance to the chamber. As the ceiling fell in pieces, the sound of cracking stone and splashing water melded in the pair's ears. The stone walls covered in paintings now had dust and rocks sliding off their surface as the cracks continued to extend along them. The shaking stopped after a while and before long, they had arrived back in the tunnel junction they explored earlier. Heaving a sigh, Reus tried to make sense of what to do next.

Reus knew by now that his partner's concern for others made her reckless. To avoid any hasty actions on her part, he had to make such an irresponsible promise. After all, there was no guarantee that the other two could've survived the fall. These caves were unbelievable. Not only were they, at some point, part of an ancient civilization, the entire mountain now resembled a giant crumbling death trap.

'The chamber's gone and the only way down there is sealed by the collapsed tunnel. Man, what the hell is up with this place?'

"Shouldn't we be searching for a way down there?" Jeane's voice brought him back. "They could be in trouble."

"I know that," Reus answered back. His frustration was apparent.

'Think, Reus. Think. How can you get down there without causing the entire mountain to cave in? '

Before he thought of an answer, a large explosion caught their attention.

"It came from the other tunnel." Jeane said as she darted for the right-most tunnel in the junction.

Arriving at the scene, the bone-littered path was now covered in a thick cloud of dust. The boulders that had blocked the way were all shattered and scattered in pieces on the stone floor. Climbing out of the newly formed hole in the wall, a green shadow jumped the blonde knight. Panicked, Jeane tried to escape the tight squeeze. However, she was already in the culprits grasp. She tried to resist but noticed only the trembling of the limbs wrapped around her. Looking closer, she recognized the green leather hood.

"Thank god you're safe!"

Fran sighed as she brought the blonde, which was slightly shorter than her, into a bear hug. Safe to say, both were relieved. Although one of them was both relieved and, to some extent, alarmed at the other's surprising strength. Tapping Fran's shoulder, Jeane begged for freedom.

"Fran! Too...Much!"

"Oh!" She released the Arc. "Sorry! I was just so worried about you."

"Sorry I made you worry." The calm smile she gave the green hood was returned with a relieved one by said hood.

"Nice to see our rescue party made it."

Arriving at the scene behind the blonde girl, another blonde made a mischievous grin as he fanned the cloud of dust blocking his view. Reus had stepped into the tunnel.

"We would've gotten here faster if someone didn't drop half the mountain on top of the entrance."

The voice that answered him came from behind Fran. Laus climbed through the hole while wielding his two meter long lance. The body up to the tip was not in its original conic shape. Instead, the long shaft had opened up, revealing multiple, smoking chambers. Each chamber was smoking hot and it seems that he was trying to cool it off in his right hand while holding a glowing stone in his left.

"I followed protocol," replied Reus. "You gonna blame me for following regulations now too?"

"Haaaaah," Laus sighed. Then he smiled back and said. "It's good to see you safe and sound, pineapple."

"Right back at ya, tin man."

The two girls could only watch their quick and casual exchange. Clearing his throat, Laus began asking for a clarification of their current situation. Automatically responding to his inquiry, Reus accounted the events that had occurred since their entry with a sufficient amount of details. After finishing, Laus had only one thing to say.

"You made her cry." He pinched his forehead. "Twice?"

Fran gave the spiky haired boy a mean glare.

"Look, I already feel bad about what I did, alright? I'm sorry." he added while glancing at Jeane past Fran. "Enough about me. We have more important things to worry about."

"That's right!" Jeane joined in. "Where's Shei?!"

Fran could only shake her head as she lowered it, leaving Laus to explain their story.

"Larger tunnels," Reus scratched his chin after his friend finished explaining.

"Do you know something?" Laus asked.

"Not sure," he replied. "But it's a start. Follow me."

The two knights and hunter followed after their dark-skinned pineapple friend as he led them back to the junction and down the inclined tunnel to the left. The tunnel had a few cracks here and there but appeared to be stable nonetheless.

"We explored this area before and found an underground lake." Reus explained. "But if the tunnel leads down, then there may be a chance that it leads to the lower levels."

"How?" Jeane asked. "We saw this place already. The water's deep but the floor's visible with a torch."

"Remember that roar?"

"You guys heard it too?" asked Fran.

"Yeah, and it brought the ceiling down on us. Luckily, we got away. Unluckily, it opened a hole underneath the others. If it destroyed that chamber, the contents should be under it."

"Where?"

"The lake."

The four teens found their destination. To the blondes, it was a different sight compared to before. A hole had opened up beneath the underground reservoir. To their left, water gushed out from the place where a stream once did. Further to the right, the lake water poured down, forming a giant yet shallow river. The newly formed tunnel river was now gushing further down into another cavern. Along that cavern's walls, paintings and glowing stones decorated the stone pathway.

"I knew it."

Jeane noticed her partner's gaze. He was looking up at the former lake's ceiling. What was formerly a dark roof of stone was now a giant hole gaping into what seemed to be the stone chamber they were in a while back. Several bench-like stones decorated the chamber above.

"They fell into the lake when the ground gave way and were probably swept into the tunnels below." Reus explained his thoughts.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jeane snatched up the crystal from Laus' hand. "Let's go!"

The three simultaneously nodded in agreement and jumped after the Arc girl as she led their party into the dimly lit underground. With all four of them rushing down the shallow river into the lower levels, not one noticed the four pairs of yellow-orange eyes that monitored their descent. Mandibles chattered, clicking and hissing as a language only the feral and monstrous could understand.

[Human?!]

[Yeeees!]

[Kill!]

[Devour!]

[Destroy!]

[Leave Nothing Alive!]

Multiple, spiny, long legs covered in bone plates scurried up the walls, leaving no mark on the stony surface as they crawled into one of many hidden tunnels in the mountain walls.

[Soon!]

[Feast On Their Flesh!]

[Kill The Humans!]

A treacherous air filled the darkness. It was hungry. It smelled prey. Feeding time was approaching. Hurrying its pace, it made its way back to the nest.

[Tell Mother!]

[Gather Brothers!]

[Humans!]

[Kill!]

[We Will!]

[KILL THEM ALL!]

The light of the tunnels forced the boy to open his eyes. The hole he was now staring at was dark and appeared to have no end. Shifting his gaze, what caught his eye first was the sight of the glowing crystals. Protruding from the walls, multiple crystalline spikes dyed the room in a multitude of colors. Ranging from crimson to gold, aqua to indigo, the light of the gemstones bathed the paintings on the wall with their beautiful rays.

Checking himself, he touched the black beret on his head. The cap remained secure on the top of his copper head. He sat himself up to get a better view of the walls. The drawings depicted people. Some of them sat around fires. Others held colourful stones and appeared to be facing blackish creatures.

'Grimm.' Rudy thought. 'Ahh. I see. This cave must've belonged to the people who lived during the start of the Dust Age.'

He tried to stand but found difficulty in moving his leg. Stroking a hand on his left leg while stretching it, he realized that the bone had fully healed, quite ahead of schedule too. Looking at his left leg, the makeshift splint was gone. Instead, he found the artifact rod, a long vine, his weapon, his duffle bag and his right shoe on the stone floor beside him. On his right ankle, however, a lime green paste was spread on his exposed skin. Applying the same method of checking with the right leg, he found that his ankle was sprained. How did he tend to his injuries? As far as he remembered, he was already unconscious by the time he fell in the hole.

"Oh thank goodness! You're awake."

He turned around and found his partner kneeling on the floor behind him. With a mortar and pestle in hand, she was making more of the paste that covered his ankle. Analyzing the scene with lightning speed, he concluded his suspicion concerning the turn of events.

His partner had followed him down the hole. Somehow flawlessly surviving the crash, she treated his legs before he had woken up and had been with him since. Shei continued to mash the paste until all the visible herbs had joined to form the slimy goop. She hid the pestle in one of the few pouches on her waist and sat close to Rudy's injured leg, readying the medicine.

"Hold still. This might hurt a bit."

Gently using her index fingers, she applied the medicine. She applied the coat of yellowish-green paste on the area of the sprain. Her movements were gentle and she was careful not to apply too much in a single spot.

'Her application is neither wasteful nor amateurish. She appears to have a lot of experience in first aid and medical care' is what Rudy thought. Although he knew that he should be grateful to his partner, the words that came out were not that of gratitude.

"You followed me?"

She didn't reply. Instead, she scooped up some of the slimy goo and applied another layer on his ankle. He kept a straight face as though he didn't feel the pain she mentioned earlier.

"I told you to go on ahead with the others. I would've been fine even if you didn't help me."

"Your left leg should be fine by now. Your Aura healing is amazing. Most people wouldn't even be able to take the pain with a leg this badly injured." The little mouse's voice was full of relief as she ignored his words.

"Hey!" He raised his voice. "Why did you follow me?!"

Putting down the mortar and taking out a roll of gauze, Shei dressed his ankle as gently as she could while answering.

"Do I need a reason to help you?"

"You could've found your friends by now if you didn't come after–"

"Even if I did, I would still have to help you first."

Rudy's calm expression stayed on his face. He hesitated in answering back as he didn't understand. Taking his silence as not understanding her intentions, Shei continued.

"My friends are more capable than I am. I realized that when I first met them."

"Then why come after me alone? Things would be easier if you stayed with them in the first–"

"For me, yes," she interrupted. "But I have a duty to help my partner too."

"But you don't even know me."

"But I know you would do the same."

"Where's your proof."

Shei finished up her treatment of his leg and started cleaning up her things.

"You tried to help us find them, even going so far as to enter the tunnels with us. There wasn't anything in it for you. That's why I can tell that you'd do the same for me and the others."

Rudy didn't oppose any further. Sighing deeply, he decided to just accept his new partner's decision.

"Then, if we're to find the others," he looked at his partner with a stern gaze. "Could you help me make something to support my leg?"

"Gladly."

The work took some time as all they had were the relic rod, a long vine and a few more rolls of gauze that Shei had brought with her. While they worked, the two conversed under the colourful light of the crystalline Dust on the walls.

"Exactly where did you get your medical training?" Rudy asked.

"My mom worked as a nurse." Shei was now tying the vine around Rudy's leg while the boy in question held the relic rod steady for the makeshift splint. "On most days, she would always end up taking care of my dad's injuries when his Dust experiments end up exploding in his face."

"I can only guess what happened when she wasn't around."

"Well," she made a dry smile as she started using the gauze to secure the splint. "He would always promise Mom that he would put safety as a priority but..."

"Let me guess. Accidents still happened even though he promised to be careful."

"Heheheh, unfortunately..." Shei laughed dryly.

"I had heard that the mysterious Doctor Jasper Strega was a reckless genius," Rudy let go of the rod as Shei was finishing up and tying up the last knot. "But to think he was reckless enough for his family to worry."

Shei was about to respond with another dry smile but stopped short with an expression of surprise on her face.

"Wait!" She suddenly faced the boy. Her tone's shock was apparent and her face was mere centimeters from his. "You know my father?!"

"He's pretty much a celebrity when it concerns the science of Dust. I should know since I'm a fan." He declared in a calm and unsurprising tone. "Famous for creating the world's first synthetic Dust crystals as well as contributing to the discovery of Aura absorption properties within Dust, I don't think there's a researcher on Remnant that hasn't heard of his work."

"But... How... When?..." Shei was back to her stuttering at the sudden realization of her father's fame.

"I also realized when I first saw your staff."

"Huh?" Calming down, Shei tilted her head.

"The Dust you were using," he replied. "It lighted up when you wanted it too, didn't it?"

"Yes... Is there something wrong?"

"Neither raw nor mined Dust can be used in such a way without physically triggering it. Your weapon didn't have a trigger installed either, hence I deduced that it's of a synthetic type. When I noticed, the only hint that got me close to the answer was your last name."

Rudy's words sounded so obvious that Shei actually felt foolish now that she considered it. Her father was an eccentric man when it came to his line of work, almost too eccentric though. So much so that when the neighbours asked what his occupation was, she would reply that he was a mechanic with a hobby of creating things.

"I'm more surprised at how you didn't know." Rudy slightly tilted his head, staring at his partner. "Although, I do have a good idea why he hasn't been seen in person since his debut as a scientist."

"What... What do you mean?"

Rudy pointed to the top of Shei's head. She moved to touch the only things special there.

"You're a full breed, I take it?"

With one hand on each ear, she realized what he meant. A lot of humans still detested and hated the Faunus no matter how great their achievements may be.

"Yes," she replied. A smile slowly curled up on her face.

"He must love his family," he said. "Seeing as he prioritizes your well being over his work."

"He tends to do some considerably thoughtful things at random times," she rubbed her ears. "But Mom and I love him for it."

"I wonder what it must be like, parental love." Rudy whispered to himself. Unluckily, her perceptive mouse ears picked it up and she got curious.

"Didn't you have a... an adopted family... growing up?"

"Yes," he replied. "But being my father's colleagues in the field of Dust science, there was less of a parent-child relationship and more of a student-teacher one."

"But... didn't they take you as their son?"

"They didn't understand my father's intentions when he requested that I be put in their care. Unable to have a child of their own, they were really surprised to find a friend of theirs asking to adopt his own who, at the time, was around the age of eight. With no experience in parenthood, they were quite confused at what to do."

"Was it hard?" Shei added. "Living with strangers, I mean."

"Not really. When I discovered that they owned a library, with a mountain of a book collection covering every subject discovered and taught in Remnant, we started to get along like a normal family. Well, if normal is defined as they taught me everything they knew and studied. Since there was nothing else to relate to, I became their student, both in and out of the house."

She tried to imagine a family of three. All they ever talked about was the contents of books and their current research. It was kind of like how she imagined her dad's family when he was a child. Shei giggled at the thought.

"Must've felt weird," she said. "Being more of a student than their child, I mean."

A curl appeared at the corner of boy's mouth.

"They weren't the best of parents," he stood up and dusted his coat and pants. "But they were the best of teachers I've ever met."

"Wait! Are you sure you should be standing?!" Shei, surprised by how casual he stood, despite the weight he was obviously exerting on his sprained ankle, got up and tried to sit him down. "You should rest your foot first."

"Don't mind me. Besides, we have more important things we need to be doing."

He pulled his rod and pressed the button on the metal tip. The sound of gears and wires being pulled and turned could be heard from within. And just a moment later, it snapped in two. The loud crack of the weapon echoed throughout the tunnels. The rod, once about as tall as Rudy himself, was now in two pieces. The bottom half in his right hand now measured just above his waist and it seemed like he could use it like a cane for support. The top half was in his left with the metallic tip pointed up.

"What are you doing?" Shei asked.

"Trying to make a suitable weapon to use," he answered. Clearly bewildered by his words, he added. "Just watch."

He lifted the pieces to eye-level, staring at the point where they split off. At first, Shei didn't see a change. In the next, she was shocked to see the lower half slowly change shape. The lower half that seemed like just a long cane of wood was growing. It extended to the original length of the rod before he split it into two. When he was done, he held a rod in his right hand. It was the same length, albeit thinner than the original form. Shei, stunned speechless by the spectacle, listened close as Rudy explained.

"Surprised?" He said with a small smile. "My Semblance is Matter-Property Manipulation. I can change the form of any non-living object and create a newer object that can function how I want it to."

"Amazing..." she whispered.

"Although," he added. "I am limited to what I can touch, the materials of the object and how much I understand the properties of the components."

Shei stayed silent in awe as Rudy changed the other half of the rod. The upper half morphed starting from the metal tip. It stretched forward while the wooden part shrunk. The metal point extended to such a degree, it took a form similar to a baton. The wood part of the rod became a hilt and guard as the gray length thinned and extended to form a long blade. After the newly-formed weapon stopped changing, what he held in his left was a long rapier. The hilt and guard fit his hand and wrist perfectly while the blade was as long as his entire arm.

"That's... incredible!" Her voice emanated with glee as Rudy swung and stabbed the sword with a graceful flick of his wrist.

"This should be fine for close-quarters combat." He held the thin long sword at his side while supporting himself with the rod.

"But what about your leg," still concerned, she asked. "It still hasn't healed. Doesn't it hurt?"

"It's fine." He replied with a straight face. "For now, at least. What about you?"

"Huh?" She tilted her head.

"Your staff doesn't have the synthetic Dust crystal like it did before we fell. You didn't drop it, did you?"

Shei shook her head in response.

"I left it with Fran and Laus so that I could find them." She explained. "It was a gift from my father so it has some Aura-absorption properties so, in a way, I can trace it."

"But without it, what you have now is just a collapsible staff, right?"

"I have more." She pulled out a green crystal and snapped it on her staff. The resounding click confirmed that it was securely in place. "I'll make do with this one until we find them."

"Alright then, let's go."

Shei still felt worried, but, deciding to trust her partner's judgement, the two started their search for their friends, unaware that they were already being tailed.

'Tailing after them' wasn't really an accurate description as their tracker wasn't even moving. It breathed deep with its scaly nostrils, inhaling dust and dirt. The smell of living flesh was in the air. It smelled not two, or four. Licking the air with a forked tongue, ten scents intermingled with each other, causing saliva to drip from its slightly agape jaw. Two were very weak, most likely just outside of the tunnels. Age was apparent in their smell. They weren't worth the effort. Eight other scents, however, were young and fresh. To this, it presented interest. Exhaling heavily in the dark, it stirred, sending tremors all around. Its stirring caused beads of black muck to slide down its leathery hide. Crashing on the ground, shadows gathered and the creatures of Grimm rose up from the puddle of residual negativity. Creeps roared out in hunger as their natural instincts took over. They started fanning out, searching for their prey.

The giant beast, however, stayed put. Its children could eat all eight of the humans. If the younger beasts survived long enough, they would be able to grow and birth more of their brethren like their mother. If they failed, it wouldn't matter. Many more will rise out of the fluids it secretes. Even if the human children manage to get here before more are born, so be it. They would come only to fall in vain. Every human did. Humans are foolish creatures that deserve only to be eaten. They will all die a horrible death.

In any case, they have no choice but to come to this chamber. All the tunnels converged with this chamber where the beasts of the past had eaten all of the humans that dwelled here. The sole exit out of the labyrinth of ruins was located just above its head and even above, another beast rested, birthing more of her children. The eight-legged beast above had blocked the path with a giant net made out of her secretions, capable of even trapping the strongest of beasts. Although, it seems her birthing cycles had fallen compared to that of the monstrosity above. Its sister keeps birthing more of her brethren. And unlike her, this one could only spawn those similar to her own.

The anomaly of her breeding won't matter though. No human has ever made it this far into the nest and no human shall ever be able to get through. Both mothers will stay here until they came and we will eat them all. Just like we did in the past to those foolish enough to throw the glowing stones that burned and froze our bones and cut our skins. To signal its children for their first meal, it parted the white bony plates that covered its mouth to reveal large, dull teeth and the long reptilian tongue. It inhaled once more and, this time, sent out a loud cry.

RRRRAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRR

The crystal covered cavern trembled as the loud bellow reverberated on the walls. Cracks and fissures were spreading on the walls at an alarming rate. The trembling sent dust clouds up, prompting Kahel to stop moving. Seika had stopped short just behind her partner as the two couldn't move with clouded visions. The light of the crystals on the wall helped avoid a completely dark tunnel. But the dust did well to impede their advance anyway.

"It sounds a lot closer than the last time," Seika said as the dust cloud began to settle.

"What do you think made it?" Kahel asked. "Ursa Major?"

The dust finally cleared enough for them to continue moving.

"I've never heard of an Ursa with such a deep growl before. The quakes are something that worries me as well. We should hurry."

Kahel nodded while quickening her pace. Her sleeveless orange trench coat was still slightly drenched and clung to her skin. Her white gloves were already dirty from all the grime and algae of the lake they fell into. After a short slide down the newly formed water slide, they found themselves stranded in a new tunnel covered in bright stones. Unable to climb back up the stream, they continued to venture into the tunnels, hoping to find another exit. Seika, following close behind, was similarly drenched.

The two found themselves inside a new chamber. Illuminated by indigo and navy blue raw Dust crystals on the walls, a single, larger, gemstone protruded from the center of the stone hall. Colored dark violet, the enormous Dust rock did little to light up the place. The walls were covered in paintings and thick strands of cobwebs. Several tunnel mouths carved into the chamber's walls lead to new passages beyond the crystal room. Making their way to the center of the chamber, they found the room to be slightly dimmer compared to the tunnels it opened up to, making the walls and floor seem as if they were part of the shadows.

"Great," Kahel sighed. "Now what do we do?"

"Four. Five. Six." Seika counted. "If we include the tunnel we came through, seven tunnels connect to this room."

"This doesn't make any sense! How're we supposed to find a way out of this place?"

Despite the fox girl's exhausted complaining, there was little they could do. Multiple tunnels leading away from the chamber meant more time was needed to explore the place. And time was not on their side. Deciding to rest instead of complaining any further, Kahel sat with her back to the obsidian-like crystal.

"What do you think is this place?"

"Don't know. Maybe a gathering hall? Whatever it is, I wish there was an exit already."

Seika, more curious about the cave than worried, asked meekly, and although Kahel's reply, or in this case, whine, didn't answer her question, she simply satiated her curiosity by studying the numerous paintings on the walls. Decorated with a few glowing crystals for lighting, the paintings depicted a story without the use of words under the dim colors of raw Dust. Human-like shapes covered the higher levels of the wall near the ceiling. Intricate drawings of homes and campfires littered the tops. Colorful flags waived above the heads of the stick-people. It was like a festival. But the paintings near the floor shared a different story. Black dyes in the shape of shadowy creatures were depicted on the stone. White and red markings decorated their bodies. They were posed in strange forms as if they were attacking and chasing, to envelop and consume everything in their path. Some were reminiscent of wolves and bears. Others were that of giant birds and scorpions. However, there were many more shapes that Seika didn't recognize.

"The paintings are like the pictures they show in the holographic libraries." Seika said with admiration.

"You visited the library in Vale before?" her partner asked.

"No, my home had a few libraries with books about the past." she replied. "But there are a lot of things painted here that I've never seen in the books or any holodiscs I used before."

Approaching the decorated wall, she traced the nearest one with her slender fingertips. The dye had a cold yet dusty feeling. It felt similar to the ashes of a cold fireplace. Moving her hand, she tried the white dye. Soft and a bit sticky between her fingers, dried sap were decorated as the bony plates. Impressed by the ingenuity of the materials used, Seika tried touching the red lines that formed the crimson details of the artwork Grimm. However, as soon as she traced the lines, a chill went down her spine. She slowly backed away and looked at the artwork on the wall as a whole.

Fires burned all around the black beasts. People looked like they were running around in a panic as the monsters swarmed around them. At the bottom, where the floor met the wall, numerous black lines were sprawled out, covering the entire area. Under the black streaks was blotches of crimson and the scene became apparent to the monk girl.

"What's wrong?" Kahel sensed a change in Seika's silence.

"It's horrible." She said with a sad tone. "Just so horrible."

"What is it?" Kahel, blessed with night vision through her heritage, immediately made out the images on the walls without even getting up, unlike Seika who was prompted to move closer in order to investigate the paintings.

Simply put, the bottom of the walls depicted a massacre. Grimm ravaged the place where any human stood. Homes and land razed to the ground with smoke rising up, creating pillars to the sky. Nothing was safe from their grasp, safe for the painting above. Looking closely, she saw the two halves were separated by a thick line of black and grey. It showed a giant wall and a mountain of Grimm trying to break it down. Her thoughts went back to the feeling of the crimson dye on her fingers. Dried blood had chipped of and stuck to her white skin. The gruesome painting had the life liquid of all living beings on the wall. Blood was used as the blood of the people.

Just as she grasped the true story of the paintings, she heard something. Kahel, also noticing the disturbance, had gotten up from her seat, her piped club at the ready. Thuds could be heard as the sound of something hitting the stone floors echoed throughout the halls. It was getting louder, closer. The pair stood back to back in the center of the chamber, waiting for the approaching threat. Just as the echoing thuds reached their peak, the sound of roars and snarls drowned out all other noises. The two zeroed in on the origin, the tunnel adjacent to the one they came through.

Seika drew her silver gauntlets from the back of her waist. The silk-like sash that linked the metallic round fists flowed down her arms and behind her waist, glowing red and yellow with energy as she prepared her Aura. The footsteps came and what the two saw was a sight that screamed trouble.

Grimm. Leathery skins, bone like armor, and slimy, grotesque maws, all of the black beings which gushed out of the tunnel's entrance wanted to eat, to destroy, to consume the living. The Creeps that poured into the chamber had bloodlust in their eyes as they surrounded the pair. Some popped out of the ground. Others came from the walls. It wasn't long before the monsters had them in a tight circle, snarls and growls scattering drool around the girls.

"What should we do?" Kahel asked nervously.

"Uh, I'll take the ones on the left and you take the ones on the right?" Seika's nervous question brought a smile to the fox's face.

"Wait," her white-tipped ears perked up. "I have a better idea."

Quickly relaying her plan, Seika grinned with anticipation. Her partner simply pulled up her metal mesh goggles around her neck and covered her eyes.

"All right, on three."

"One."

Kahel began counting, lowering the piped club to the ground with the shaft pointing up. She pulled back a lever connected to a red stone near the base.

"Two."

Seika placed a hand on the fox's shoulder and gripped tight. She felt a warm feeling rush through her body as she breathed in. She suddenly felt lighter.

"THREE!"

The orange clad girl's shout was drowned out by the sudden explosion. Everything blurred at the sudden burst of upward force. Launched into the air, the two girls flew towards the ceiling at breakneck speed. Once near the top, Seika drew the claws out of gauntlets. The long blades pierced the stone like a knife through butter, keeping the monk girl stuck in place.

With her partner safely out of danger, Kahel switched from retreating to attacking. She arched her back, performing a flip and glanced down at the horde of Grimm below.

"HAAAAAAAAAAH"

With a raging battle cry, she pulled the trigger on the shaft of her piped club, sending fire out of the cylindrical end. The flames caused a second explosion that sent her flying back down at terminal velocity. With a swing of her club, the resulting impact sent the Creeps and parts of the floor flying in all directions save for the ceiling. Dust and rock ripped through the air. Bodies and stone crashed on the wall paintings, ruining a few markings here and there.

A crater was formed in the center of the chamber. The stone floor was decimated by the impact. Even the giant Dust crystal at the center of the chamber was sent flying into the walls. The dissipating remains of the Grimm flowed about like ashes in the wind. And the only one to stand tall and calm at the center of the devastated area was a fox-eared girl whose tail wagged the dust off beside her booted feet. The sight of this brought an impressed smile on Seika's face, who quickly detached her hooked gauntlets off the wall and aimed to land beside her partner. She executed a quadruple flip to slow her descent and landed safely beside Kahel. The fox girl snapped out of her trance when she heard the thud and smiled back at her partner, lowering the metal-green pair of goggles off her soot-covered face.

"I think you could've been a bit more subtle with that hit." Seika offered her opinion with a wry smile.

"Yeah, well, I emptied the whole canister before I realized it." She replied back, returning a playful smirk that revealed her fangs. "I must be still sleepy."

The girls studied the result of the attack. The tunnel that they came through as well as the tunnel the Grimm originated from where still standing. Save for a tunnel opposite the one's the Grimm came through, the other four had collapsed as a result of the explosion. This left the pair with three options.

"What do you think?" Kahel asked. "Grimm-infested hole or unexplored tunnel?"

"I don't know. Can't say that I'm a fan of exploring caves anymore than I do hunting underground Grimm in a cramped tunnel."

"Going back is out of the question. We could start by exploring the Grimm tunnel or searching the other tunnel first though."

"I think finding the others would make a better choice," Seika pointed out.

"Alright then."

But just as the two approached the opposite tunnel, the sounds of footprints were heard in the direction of said tunnel. Appearing at the entrance of the unexplored passageway, a boy, dressed in a duffle coat with charcoal pants and a beret in a similar shade of black, held a thin sword by his side and a log rod in the other. Following close behind, a girl in a sage green sweater held a long staff with a green crystal tip in both hands. The two newcomers first took a look at the devastation that covered the chamber before coming closer.

"EH?!" Kahel gasped.

"What's up?" Seika asked.

"The rowdy fox from last night?" Rudy spoke up while looking at Kahel. "Can I take a guess and say this was your doing?"

"You know each other?" Both Seika and Shei's question intermingled with each other in the silence of the partially-destroyed chamber.

Before anyone could answer, Kahel burst out in anger while pointing at the boy in front of her.

"He's the reason I wasn't able to sleep well last night!"

"What are you talking about?" Rudy replied with a defiant gaze. "You were the one who refused to let me sleep. Even though we decided to share the spot since everywhere else was taken, you were the reason that prevented me from resting early."

"What?! You decided that on your own."

"Besides," Rudy continued. "You were so loud that you attracted the attention of Professor Goodwitch. Because of you, we were scolded for quite a while that I wasn't able to sleep on time."

"Why you–!"

"Excuse me, you two?" Seika broke their quarrel.

""?""

"Um... Could you please explain your relationship with each other a little more clearly?" she said with a nervous smile. "Some of us are a bit confused by what exactly you two were doing up late last night."

She stood beside a mumbling Shei, who was red as a tomato, muttering 'they did this and that... they didn't sleep... too loud he says... but how come I didn't notice... wawawawa...' to herself. The vague argument of the two sent the mouse girl's head steaming with misunderstandings until she fainted on the spot.


	9. Chapter 8: Fighting Darkness

"Keep moving!"

"I know! I know!"

Two blondes led the group, hacking and slashing their way through a thick mesh of white cobwebs that blocked their path. One used a baton glowing with burning energy to melt the sticky snares. The other hacked away with a sword of shining blue steel, twin crescents for a guard, and an old relic long sword, a rusty blade with a one-handed grip. The two attacked the net trap with swift strikes, trying to shave off as many of the webs as quickly as they could.

"How many mags you got left, Laus?"

"Ten minus this one!"

"Fran, arrows?!"

"Half a quiver–, about seventy left!"

A hunter and a knight formed a defensive line behind the blonde pair as a massive wave of black spiders kept pouring out all around them through small, unnoticeable gaps in the tunnel walls. Explosions echoed throughout the tunnels as Dust round after Dust round blew out of the conic cylindrical lance one after another, burning through several waves of arachnid Grimm. The hunter beside him killed the strays that got past the fire Dust's area of effect, by stabbing arrow after glowing arrow into the beasts' small abdomens. Some burst into flames while others froze and shattered. A few were able to resist before disintegrating, snapping the bladed arrows before Fran could recover and reuse them.

The group had tried to search for their friends in one of the many tunnels that lead deeper into the mountain caves. Taking the largest tunnel they could find, they ended up hitting a dead end. Thick webs blocked their path and smaller ones littered the place. Larger than life, they camouflaged the holes that the little buggers were now crawling out of.

"Dammit! We'll run out of ammo at this rate." Reus stopped his attacking and turned to his armored companion. "Laus! You brought them with you, right?"

"You're not supposed to use them at a time like this! It's against protocol!"

"To hell with protocol!" He moved to the knight and started patting him down, checking each pocket as fast as he could.

"What are you doing?!" Jeane yelled as she continued to hack through the blockage.

"Improvising."

"You can't keep taking them! Your body's not–!"

"I'll decide that. Found it!" Finding what he was looking for, Reus returned to his partner's side while loosening up the scarf tied to his arm and shoulder.

"Quick! Stab this into my left shoulder!" he said to the Arc girl.

"What is it?" she asked as she glanced at the golden fluid-filled syringes.

"I'll explain later. For now–GAAAHH!"

Reus cringed in pain and kneeled on the floor as Jeane took one of the needles and swiftly stabbed it into his dark skin.

"Dammit, Reus! Step back! Hurry!" Laus cursed his friend then ordered the girls as he emptied his current magazine to clear a path for them to retreat away.

Getting off of his knees, Reus raised both arms at the wall of webs.

"What is he doing?" Fran voiced the two girl's concern.

"Just keep them off of him until he's finished!"

The hunter did as they were told. But Jeane, showing concern for her partner, took a glance at the spectacle behind her before opening her eyes wide out of disbelief. Reus' blonde, spiky hair was glowing in the dark, illuminating the tunnel. Behind the dark-skinned boy, golden light seemed to form into a wall of energy. With a swipe of his hands, four beams of light flew out of the wall and zigzagged into the webs before him. The beams flew right through, melting the mesh like butter. He kept swinging his hands, sending them in waves with two radiant lights per wave. When he was done carving open the path, he turned and faced the three's direction and for the first time, Jeane felt something close to reverence. His expression was calm, but his crimson eyes glowed with energy. With a sweep of his hands, he sent eight balls of light speeding towards the mass of Grimm spider lings. Each arachnid either hissed or screeched as they quickly evaporated at the light's touch. The eight lights circled back and burned away the stragglers they missed until all that was left was their dissipating ashes.

Lowering his weapon, Laus withdrew the lance and shield and turned to walk towards his friend. Fran and Jeane, however, were stunned speechless and stayed were they stood. Placing a hand to his companion's right shoulder, they saw him whisper something to Reus' ear. In the next moment, the golden haired boy fell to his knees. The light wall disappeared and his hair stopped glowing. He started panting as he tried to catch his breath. Kneeling beside him, Laus spoke.

"I told you that your body can't handle it."

"Ah shut up," he spoke back between breaths. "You would've done the same."

Reus gave his partner a quick glance before sending a telepathic message.

'I'll explain later. Could you help me up now?'

Without a moment's hesitation, Jeane took her pair's left shoulder and supported him up, careful not to rough up his injuries. But, surprisingly, his injuries weren't there. Through the loose scarf around his arm and shoulder, she couldn't find any injury whatsoever.

Before she could ask, Laus lifted his other shoulder and started walking through the burnt remains of the web wall. Taking the lead this time was Fran as the two knights had to support the weak Reus. They soon came upon a new chamber. Splitting off into two tunnels, the one on the right had several webs dangling all over. It was as if they had been ripped apart from the inside. The left was covered in drool and claw marks. Fran investigated it while the two knights let Reus sit and rest. It didn't take a while for the hunter to return with bad news.

"Creep-class Grimm. Around fifty or so recently came through here."

"Any idea what drew their attention?" Laus asked, although the answer was obvious.

The Grimm could only be attracted to humans. That is to say that the Grimm that ran through the tunnels in a hurry to hunt for the others.

"We have to go," Reus grunted in pain. "They may need our help."

"No." Laus stopped him from standing. "You need to rest. If we run in to anymore, we'll be sitting ducks out there."

"I'll go ahead and scout the area," Fran volunteered.

"I'll go with you." Laus moved only to be stopped by his own partner.

"No. Your armor makes too much noise. It'll be easier for me to move quietly." She started walking down the claw-covered path. The remaining trio waited until the echoes of her footsteps faded away. Laus slowly moved to the tunnel on the right, muttering that he would scout the other path before Fran returned. With the two blondes being the only ones left in the small chamber, the first thing that Jeane thought to do was satisfy her curiosity.

"What happened back there? What was that light?"

"What happened was I saved you." He replied. "You could at least thank me for it."

"Thank you very much." She said so trying to sound sarcastic.

"How genuine," he commented.

"But seriously, what happened back there?"

Her cynical tone was replaced by a more concerned one. One glance at the girl told Reus' that he wasn't going to get away without explain everything.

"My Semblance is the Light of Creation."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What the hell? Are you trying to play god?" Jeane burst out in laughter as she broke their silence.

"I'm dead serious."

His cold tone stopped the girl and she started to listen close as he spoke.

"You already understand the basics about Aura, don't you?"

She nodded in reply.

"Then, tell me how you use your Aura."

"I mainly leave it on like a full body armor or as a shield and sometimes I use it to strengthen my attacks. My weapon is synced to my Aura so I guess it feels lighter than it actually is." She mumbled her answer before adding one more. "Ah! I also used it to boost my speed like you did when I chased after the bird."

"The way you used your Aura in the first half of your answer is what everyone usually uses them for." He sighed as he spoke. Feeling tired to the bone, he continued. "That last bit about using it as a 'booster' is wrong though."

"Why?"

"Your Aura is manifestation of your soul. That being said, you can't use your soul to send you flying over two hundred kilometres a second in the middle of the sky."

"Then what was it that I did up there? I just copied how you used yours."

"Mimicry."

"What?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"You copied how I used my Aura. Correct? If you did, then it would make perfect sense that your Semblance is actually 'Mimicry'."

"But... How...?" she was unsure whether to believe in her partner's words or to deny it entirely as he may just be speculating. Before she could do either, he continued.

"I was wondering why your twin was already in this school a whole year early while you weren't. When I heard you talking about reaching... no, surpassing his level of training within a year, I was shocked at your progress."

"What are you saying? That I cheated my way into Beacon?"

"'Cheating' is not the word I'd use at this point because, well, you're already here. If it's part of your power then it can't be considered cheating if you only use 'your' power. Personally, I'm more impressed that you have that power. Tell me. Did you admire someone when you were young? 'Want to be like someone' for example?"

Jeane tried to think.

"I wanted to be like my older brother and sisters."

"There's your answer." He spoke with an obvious tone. "You wanted to be like them, now you can be like them. All of them."

He added emphasis to his last sentence. His words seemed truthful to what he knew, but Jeane felt like there was something missing. Noticing her discontent expression, Reus tried to ask.

"That is what I pieced together with what I know, but am I missing something? You don't seem all too happy with my explanation."

"It's not that you're wrong," she said. "I just have this feeling that it's missing something."

"Well," he spoke softly. "Sorry if I confused you even more."

"Then, can you tell me?"

"What is it?"

"What my Semblance has to do with yours?"

"Ahh, that." He breathed in deeply and exhaled.

"Yours is similar to mine."

"How so?"

"My Semblance creates while yours copies what's already there. In short, your Semblance recreates what already exists. That's about it, actually."

"That's all?"

"Hey, don't get mad. It's already rare for there being two similar Semblance types in one place at the same time."

"Then, how does your Semblance work?"

"Like yours, I use Aura as a fuel to power my Semblance. The unique thing about it is that I can create anything without a base form."

"A what?"

"Without an original. Your Semblance depends on what you can see. Mine doesn't."

"Then what were those lights you shot at the spiders a while ago?"

"I created small balls of light energy and controlled them to fly at the webs and Grimm."

"You can control them?"

"To an extent. But that doesn't mean I can do it all the time."

"Why's that? Isn't it your Semblance?"

"It may be mine," he said. His voice now filled with frustration. "But my body has its limits."

"What?"

"My body can't contain my own Aura."

"..."

"..."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I wish I was."

"So," Jeane tried to gather what she learned. "You have this... amazing Semblance that could do... almost anything... But all that is limited by how much Aura your body can hold?!"

"If you're gonna be so sarcastic about it, then yes."

"But... How?!"

"My skin wasn't always this dark, alright?!" He said sounding quite embarrassed about the fact. "When I had my Aura unlocked for the first day of combat school, I had to be confined in one of Atlas' military hospitals. The reason was that my Aura had burned my skin just by being unlocked. They rushed me in and soon locked me up, thinking I could be a danger to society."

"Why would they do such a thing?!" Jeane was sounding mad.

"Think about it. If someone had an Aura that could literally burn you alive just by the touch, then you'd no longer be seen as a normal human. You'd be a living hazard. They quarantined me in the hopes of finding out the cause and trying to find a way to control it, but before they could do any of that, my skin had already turned this dark."

Jeane sat there and listened as his voice slightly echoed on the walls.

"The only solution their best doctor could find was to reduce the amount of Aura I had stored in my body."

"But isn't that impossible?"

"I wanted to live a normal life. I wanted for my family to be able to live in peace. When I learned that the only way to reduce my Aura levels was to use it as a Semblance, I struggled hard to find out what mine was. It wasn't long when we discovered that I could control the flow of Aura within my body to externally create objects made out of energy. When I discovered Creation, under the doctor's supervision, I tried to construct a way that would let me release and seal my Aura into a container. That's when I discovered the ability to Aura Link."

"Aura Link?"

"I already did it to save your life. During the crash, remember?" He exemplified. "Using this method, I was able to preserve my life while extending my sister's. In the end, here we are now."

"Hmmm." Jeane noticed a fact. "Wait! You have a sister?!"

"Uhh..." He didn't respond. In fact, he tried to avoid responding.

"What? Not going to tell me? Are you afraid that I'd turn her against you?" Her mocking tone conflicted with his awkward means of escaping. His saving grace, however, wasn't a good sign.

BAM BAM BAM

HHHHHRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSRRRSSS

Hearing the sound of gunfire and hissing, the two jolted up simultaneously. More shots could be heard. With a nod to each other, the pair of blondes darted for the web-covered tunnel.

Laus was the type to think before jumping into a fight. 'Analysis of the situation would lead to better judgements.' His father would use to say to him. A kind man, always putting others before himself, and well respected in the Atlas military as a hero, Laus was proud of the man for being his father. Why he was thinking of his dead old man now was a mystery even to himself. But it seems that the human mind would quickly sift through past memories just to find a solution to the dire situations they would be finding themselves in at a moment's notice.

White exoskeletons with five crimson eyes each, legs as thin as branches from sapling trees and disgusting squelching noises made by mandibles clicking on saliva in unison was the sign of the approaching arachnid horde that came from the other end of the tunnel.

On the other hand, Laus stood on one leg with his lance's exposed muzzles directed at the start of the oncoming swarm of black, white and glowing red. His left side was stuck to the wall. Sticky webs kept him from moving any further than his limbs would allow him.

"This is bad."

Indeed it was. He had descended far deeper than he expected to and as he tried to rest under the dim light of the nearby Dust crystals, he managed to get himself and his shield gauntlet stuck in the wall. Left with no defence, he decided to protect himself with offense.

BAM BAM BAM

Shots rang out one after another. He had made sure to load a full magazine of freeze-type Dust rounds before walking down the path. In this case, he was cutting it close with just freezing his enemy. The arachnid-type Grimm poured in from the tunnel's other end like water. Laus' shots froze a fraction of the oncoming black river only to destroy one or two of the swarm.

He turned up the scroll, increasing the number of rounds he fired per shot to twice the normal. His lance had ten barrels along its cylindrical body. Designed to fire like a non-rotating minigun, the accuracy was low but compensated with firepower. With his current setting, the weapon fired two, equally-powerful shells simultaneously from opposite muzzles.

'This would be the perfect weapon if it didn't overheat as fast as it does though.'

His flew like hail at the enemy swarm. Once hit, the shots released nature's wrath encased within. The spiders turned to ice on impact. Some shattered while they froze, their kinetic energy crushing their frozen forms. But the Grimm didn't stop. Despite being blocked by their brethren's frozen corpses, they charged right through, disintegrating their wounded allies.

"They're serious about trying to kill me." Even Laus was shocked by the Grimm's mercilessness, but then again, what did he expect from heartless, soulless creatures in the first place?

He piled up the kill count. He was counting but he gave up after it reached three digits and, instead, turned his focus to the dwindling rounds within his weapon. He used an extended drum clip, designed and sold by the Atlesian military to its personnel and allies across Remnant. His weapon, formerly a standardized lance, had been modified to fire lightweight rounds at a rate of forty rounds a minute. The effective range was perfect for one-handed aiming at close range. Its lightness even allowed Laus to modify the drum clip to carry almost twice its original capacity, around five hundred rounds.

It was customized for his use alone as the weapon's firing mechanism required his Aura and Semblance. He adjusted the scroll on the grip with his thumb, turning it up to maximum. Using this device, he was able to control the amount of Aura he used to propel the bullets at the enemy. Currently, he shot twice the normal rate of fire at mach speed. Each shell killed off around four to six each, averaging eight to twelve kills per pull of the trigger. A few were caught in the round's freezing radius while others suffered a penetration wound from the bullet casings shrapnel passing through the first target.

Despite his advantage in weaponry, his situation was still dire. The sole reason was

BAM BAM CLICK CLICK CLICK

"DAMMIT!"

He had run out of ammo. With no more shells pelted in their direction, the arachnids had reached his position in the tunnel. He swung his lance, although its length proved unwieldy, in a desperate attempt to buy time. Just as one of the tiny monstrosities tried to jump at his face, something green shot through it, midair, and sent a large burst of wind flying through the tunnel. The blast wave pushed the Grimm swarm back to the other side of the tunnel. Following after them, three blue streaks were impaled on the wall, ceiling and floor of the tunnel's surface respectively. They exploded, creating a wall of ice that blocked the path.

"(Sigh). Glad I made it."

The melodic voice that came from behind drew the trapped boy's attention. Lowering the long, compound bow on her right hand, Fran approached her partner while taking out a long red arrow from the quiver over her left shoulder.

"Thanks," his partner tore his limbs free. "If it weren't for you, I'd be dead."

"I'd like to know what you were thinking when you came down here alone." Her expression didn't show it, but she was quite angry, coming from her tone. "Otherwise, I'll never let you move around freely like that again."

"Sorry." His apology was stern but remorseful. "I just needed to clear my head."

"And feed yourself to the Grimm? Not a very smart move, idiot."

The one to insult him was an approaching Reus. Jeane followed behind him along with four others. He immediately recognized Shei and Rudy. He saw the other two and recognized the yellow-red clad girl as the one who slept near their spot last night. The orange one he identified as the one person dragged away by Ms. Goodwitch.

"I thought you said your dad told you to think before acting?"

He ignored his friend's remark and moved his gaze to Jeane.

"Are we all accounted for?"

"Yes," her answer was swift. "How many do you think are down there?"

"Estimate, a boatload." Laus' answer became vague.

"Which means that this is like their nest," Fran ventured a guess to which Laus could only respond to a nod.

"We have to go through there. We have no other way out."

"What do you mean, Rudy?" Laus showed concern to that statement.

Rudy explained half of the facts. After falling, he and Shei came upon a tunnel that flowed in only one direction, leading them to the cratered chamber. Seika then explained how all other tunnels that branched from said chamber collapsed except for the one where numerous Creeps and, surprisingly, Fran stumbled through.

"We have to hurry. If we take too long, all of the Grimm scattered throughout the mountain just might congregate here."

Everyone agreed with the bereted boy's suggestion. But before they could do so, a problem came in the form of sound.

CRACK

The frozen wall Fran created to block the arachnids was starting to break. Hissing and bashing sounds could be made out through the thick ice.

"Aranya class?" Rudy asked.

"If you mean giant spiders, then yes." Jeane said in an annoyed tone. The frustration in her voice was caused by the eight-legged creatures beating down the wall.

"Rudy," Shei spoke while Fran gave her back the borrowed golden Dust crystal. "What do you know about them?"

"Light, fast, and poisonous. They also create web traps wherever they go. If there's that many, then their mother must be close."

"Mother?" Kahel was shocked. In fact, everyone was.

"These Grimm were just recently discovered. According to research, they are somewhat vulnerable to light. Aside from that, they can quickly reproduce in a short span of time. The good news is that it's asexual."

"Awah?" Kahel was confused.

"He means it doesn't need a mate to have children." Seika explained for her.

"Where's the fun in that?" Reus' statement earned him a jab in the gut from his partner while three of the other girls nervously tried to hide their blushing faces. Coughing out, he added. "How is it good news?"

"We only need to face one Aranya Decrea."

"Then, how do we break through?" Laus asked.

"You said they don't weigh much, right?"

Rudy nodded at the fox girl's inquiry. At this, Kahel grinned to her ears.

"Leave that to me."

The children of the beast above made too much noise. Shrieking and screeching as they tried to get past the barrier made by the humans, they annoyed the hell out of the giant, sleeping reptile mother that stayed still at the center of the giant chamber. Crying out as they continued to crawl down along the walls, they formed a black river that flowed into the only tunnel exit left standing.

All the while, she lay there, waiting for the humans that killed her children, her anger hidden by her sleep. They will pay for all the beasts they had slaughtered. Even if they killed her children, more would spawn to hunt them and their children down. And once the next generation has been destroyed, all of mankind will continue to fall into oblivion.

While it rested, waiting for her prey, the river of spiny legs that was flowing into the small pathway suddenly burst out. About half of the eight-legged hatchlings spewed out of the corridor, flying and disintegrating in all directions. Following after was a strong gust of wind. The giant Grimm stirred. Not once had there been a current this powerful since the exit at the top was sealed. It slightly opened its reptilian eyes. Stepping out of the tunnel, a human with an orange tail rushed out, carrying a pole that blasted air at the arachnid children. The tailed human's companions rushed out and moved towards the stairwell next to the tunnel mouth that led to the top. Not letting them escape, the beast got up and stood on its two short hind legs. It cried out and a few liquid black drops fell off its skin. Creeps spawned out of the pool while any arachnid that came in contact with the sludge grew bigger and even more monstrous.

The humans were nearing the top. It acted on instinct and buried its head into the ground. Biting down, it brought back with it a stone colored in a dark shade of indigo. Throwing it up, it swallowed the raw Dust crystal and lowered its head as the stone flowed down its elongated neck. Once it felt the stone within dissolve, it knew that it was ready. Raising its armored head with a large inhalation, it blew out a dark black and purple flame into the open space above.

RAAAAAGGGGGGGRRRRRR

"What the hell?!" Kahel, taking the rear, shouted as she used the wind propulsion of her pipes to blow away more of the oncoming Grimm.

"Since when were Grimm able to use Dust?!" Seika, covering her partner by taking down the crawlers on the wall, was equally surprised.

"I don't know! This is a first to me too! We should conduct further study and–"

"Rudy! We need to get out of here first!"

"...Right!"

Getting her partner to focus, Shei ran ahead of the trio while Jeane, Reus and Laus took the lead. Laus used his shield to clear a path while the two blondes carved their weapons into the soft abdomens of the bugs that got close. Fran followed closely behind them, notching multiple colored arrows. She fired volley after volley, making sure to eradicate as many Aranyas that tried to clump together as she could with each arrow.

The plan seemed to be working as they were halfway up, up until a giant hole burst open in the wall directly right of the leading trio. A huge wave of Aranyas poured out of the wall like a streaming black river. This sent the two blondes and knight falling down into the center of the chamber, right above the jet-black wyvern that prepared to fire a black flame in their direction.

Everything was going downhill for the three. Laus readied his shield for impact. Reus switched to his gun and was firing at the nearby Aranyas that tried to bite his companions as they fell. Jeane hacked away with both the relic and her own sword, trying to get the spider Grimm off of them as she fell last. All three were unaware of the danger that came from below.

While tearing a spider that jumped at her face in half, Jeane caught sight of Fran. The hooded girl had jumped followed them and maneuvered herself in midair by kicking off the Grimm like stepping stones. A golden arrow was pulled back and lined up to her eyes. Jeane noticed. Her aim was directed several inches to the Arc's left, but what actually caught her eye was the color of Fran's eyes. Her tan irises had turned into an eerie blue-green. Before Jeane could register the change, Fran released her arrow straight down, tearing through the air past Jeane's blonde hair.

The arrow flew straight at the wyvern's head, planting itself between its scales under the crimson slit of an eye. After a single moment, the Dust-infused arrow exploded with a bang. The sudden flash of light surprised the beast and caused it to thrash in rage. This threw its aim off course and the black flame that it stored up was instead directed at the ground below. Creeps and Aranyas that littered the cavern floor ended up being incinerated by their winged ally, causing them to vanish as soon as the ominous blast consumed their bodies. Continuing its thrashing of the stone chamber, the long tail behind its back smashed the nearby stairs. The stone steps crumbled under the force and collapsed immediately.

The four landed on the hard stone with a thud. Their Aura had healed most of the damage and the giant wyvern had obliterated almost all of the remaining small-fries. However, with the stairs destroyed, they were completely cut off from the others. The giant wyvern had calmed down and noticed the isolated prey on the floor in front of it. The giant plated jaw opened up, revealing a set of dull teeth connected to the jaw plate. A long forked tongue tasted the air as it got down on all fours. The claws on its forelegs dug into the solid rock with ease as the wing flaps on its arms folded back in place. The giant Grimm was about the size of a truck and seemed to way twice as much, judging by the tremors it made for every step. The eyes behind the bone plate had bloodlust and quickly darted around. Studying their enemy as it studied them, Jeane, Laus, Fran and Reus had their weapons ready. Face-to-face with a blood thirsty demon, the four teens prepared themselves for a fight.

Seika smashed another arachnid to bits with her gauntlets. Not even breaking a sweat, Kahel was using her pipe club to blow away the oncoming waves with ease. Rudy wielded his rapier and rod skilfully, impaling any Creeps that got near. He switched to ranged attacks by turning his thin rod into a chain-linked whip to kill off those that crawled down the walls. Shei supported their backs. Using her returned synthetic mango-gold Dust, she fired small energy blasts directly at the Aranyas climbing after them. She had thought about going back down for the others but the sudden sound of smashing stone and the sight of the fragile staircase crumbling under the weight of all the Grimm made her think otherwise.

"Go. Go!"

"What about the others?" Kahel cried.

"There's no time!"

She ushered the other three to climb the collapsing staircase. It was a long way up but they didn't have enough time to sit and wait for the stairs to stop. The rest of the smaller Grimm that chased after them soon fell down to the cavern floor alongside the crumbling stairs.

Above the nest of the giant lizard-like Grimm that the four down below were probably facing right now, another room carved by human hands entered their sights. They entered the new, dark chamber at the top. There were no raw Dust crystals in the room and no Grimm seemed to be around, but they were completely isolated from the others.

"How're they gonna get up here without the stairs?!" Kahel said while catching her breath.

"We'll need some rope or maybe a ladder." Seika was also out of breath. "Maybe we could get some help from the school?"

"We have a problem of our own."

Rudy's voice in the darkness prompted Shei to turn on her golden Dust. Becoming the only light source, she shined an iridescent glow upon the upper chamber. Moss covered the stone floor en masse. The ceiling had tree roots poking through. Aside from the refreshing greenery, the only other noticeable objects in the room were the scattered webs that formed a giant netting system and a giant black bulbous object that was supported on the ceiling by thick white strands.

Long, spiked plates covered its ten, giant legs. Chinks of large bony armor protected the cephalothoraxes' top and the large pulsating abdomen. Glinting by the light of her staff, six glowing eyes had blood-like details that formed red lines connected to the red, horizontal eight painted on the top of its abdomen plate. A seventh eye remained shut in the center of its head, surrounded by the six others. It responded to the light by clicking the four fangs on its face. Black fluid dripped like saliva with every click. Breaking their silence, Kahel spoke, sounding like she was close to scream.

"Is that?!"

"Aranya Decrea!"

HHHHRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHRRRRRRRRRR

Rudy's answer was blocked out by the shrill hissing of the giant spider. Its legs stretched out. Each limb had six joints stretched under the long spiky armor. All of them ended with three large claws each gripped tight to the sticky strand. The thick web didn't budge the slightest at its movements.

"What should we do?!"

No one could answer Seika back. The reason being the Grimm before them hissed once more and opened its seventh eye. It then released a black spray from the sides of its abdomen. The cloud slowly enveloped the entire chamber. At first, it surrounded them. And when it was done, it proceeded to envelop the center of the chamber where the four stood. The cloud consumed their sights and even the light of Shei's staff was powerless to overcome the black mist. Only the sound of each other's breathing assured them they weren't dead yet. Trying to use her night vision, Shei was shocked to find that she couldn't see a thing. It didn't make any sense. She was born with near-perfect night vision and it wasn't working.

"Rudy?" Shei called out, slightly trembling. "Where are you guys?"

"I'm here." It came from just in front of her to the right. "This is not good. I can't see anything."

"Me either." Coming from the left, Seika's voice echoed in her ears. "Light's ineffective in this cloud, isn't it?"

She was right. Shei could barely even make out the light of her staff which was only a couple of inches away from her face. Just as the mouse girl wondered what was going on, the giant Aranya struck the first move.

"GAH!" A thud sounded to the wall to her right. A second, lighter thud suggested a bag being thrown off to the side.

"RUDY!"

"AGH!" Something crashed to her far left.

"SEIKA?! Dammit! Where is it–! GAAAH!"

Kahel's words before the sound of a body hitting the wall proved to her that she wasn't the only one blinded. She closed her eyes, useless in this situation, and tried to think fast as two of them were already knocked back.

'Come on! Think! We're really close. How do we fight in the dark without hurting each other?!'

"HAAAH! HYAA!"

As Shei was deep in her thoughts, Kahel's voice sounded just behind her. She sounded like she had already recovered and was swinging her club. But the sound of the wind flow made it obvious that she was making no progress. As the fox girl continued to swing, the sound of leaves and greenery brushing underfoot could be made out.

Shei's ears perked up and she knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes and heightened her senses. Sensing hostility in the air, she made a vertical jump. It was just in time as something pierced the stone floor where she stood moments ago. She kicked off the impaled object and landed near the wall where she heard her partner. She needed to convey her plan.

"Rudy! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I still can't see though."

"Seika?!"

"Good!" Her clear voice signified she was fine. Her partner could be heard sighing in relief.

"We can't fight in this cloud." Rudy coughed. "We have to find another way out!"

"There's no other way!" Kahel was disappointed at his suggestion. "The stairs collapsed on our way up here. If you think you can make that jump, then go ahead and die–"

"ENOUGH!" Shei shouted out. Her voice echoed in the chamber, stopping the argument. It wasn't only her partner. The other two made no sound. It even seemed like the Aranya Decrea was stunned silent as well.

"Can you trust me?" Shei asked. Her plan relied on complete trust from all three of them. If they didn't trust her, they all could end up dead.

"Yes!" Seika cried out.

"Alright." Kahel was a bit reluctant.

"You have a plan?" Rudy sounded a bit surprised.

"Yes," she replied. "And I need you all to listen closely to what I tell you to do."

The sound of hissing announced the impatience of the giant arachnid. It seemed like it would attack any second. And it did.

"Rudy, your right, a swipe from above!"

Shei issued her first order and heard the sound of moss and stone being smashed by something. The sound of a thud and breathing beside her meant that Rudy was now standing beside her and avoided getting trampled.

HHHHRRRRSSSHHHHHH

"Kahel, a leg sweep in front, jump!"

"HYAA! HAAA!"

HHRRRSSHHHH

From the pained sound of the Aranya Decrea, it appeared that Kahel took it upon herself to counterattack. It seemed to be super effective as Shei sensed its rage. The silence was deafening. The sound of breathing was nerve-wracking. However, with eyes closed, Shei concentrated on the enclosed area that was the chamber. Next to her, Rudy was crouched low and ready. He had his rapier meld back together with his rod and was now holding it defensively in front of him. Kahel was also crouched low, waiting for another order. Her ears were perked up and her tail was still. Shei concentrated and was surprised with Seika's state. Still as a flower, the girl was standing straight. Her breathing sounded normal and calm. Her gauntlets were equipped, connected by the silky sash that ran behind her waist. Then, she sensed the bloodlust.

"Seika, behind you, pincer attack–!"

The order was too long. Shei knew she couldn't relay all the details in one go. One of them was about to die. Unluckily for the Aranya, it wouldn't be its target.

In a graceful fashion, Seika jumped and spun in midair to avoid the double leg swipe, one coming from the top left side while the other swept from the bottom right. While spinning, she drew the hidden claws on her gauntlets like a tiger about to lunge at its prey and sliced the legs cleanly off. Shei was shocked at the turn of events but what snapped her back to reality was the sudden immolation of the dismembered legs and the shrill hissing of the Aranya as it lost its limbs.

HRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRSSSSHHHHHHHHH

"Seika, two more, above!"

The sudden order couldn't be followed as she was still recovering from her counter. But as the legs were about to strike her down, she felt a rushing current from her side travelling in front of her.

SNAP

HHRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH

The sound of wood striking bone echoed throughout the chamber. Shei used her 'other' senses. Rudy had extended his rod to such an extent in a short moment that it stopped the legs from ever hitting their target.

"HAAAAH!"

CRASH

Swinging her metallic club in a low arc starting from below her waist, Kahel smashed the ceiling, crushing the two legs and a part of Rudy's rod with it.

HRRRRSSHHHHHHRRRRSSSSHHHHHHHHHH

The loss of four limbs sent the giant spider into a hissing frenzy. Shei could sense it, its anger and its hate. The Aranya leaped across the dark chamber. Shei followed it with her senses. Landing on one of the many web strands with its remaining six legs, it lashed out.

"Rudy, jump back! Kahel, forward roll!"

The two did as they were told. The place where Rudy stood just seconds ago now had a gaping hole to the chamber below. The sounds of explosions and roaring almost made Shei's focus waver. Just as Kahel dodged the swiping leg thrown at her, the Aranya changed tactics.

HRRRRSSSSSSHHHH

With a hiss of anger, Shei sensed its body convulse. Before she understood what it was trying to do, it attacked.

"GAH!"

"Seika?!"

"Kahel! Get down!"

She did as she was told and ducked. A projectile flew over her head and landed with a slimy sound on the wall.

"Webbings?!"

"Keep your head down!"

"Damn. This isn't good."

"What is it Rudy?!" Shei asked as she dodged the slimy missile aimed for her head.

"Don't let it hit you! The webbings the Decrea excretes sometimes contain a poisonous acid from its toxin sac!"

"Seika! Seika! Dammit! How do I get this thing off?!"

"I said get down–!"

"GAAAH!"

"KAHEL!"

Shei's cry could only echo in the darkness as the sound of sludgy impact resounded in her ears. That was when the dark cloud was set ablaze. Shei only had moments before she closed her eyes and jumped in the direction of her partner to protect his. The cloud excreted by the Aranya Decrea's abdomen was burned away by a bright blue flame. The fire didn't burn. It didn't even feel hot which surprised Shei. Even the giant spider seemed to be surprised by the sudden blue light as it started hissing at its source. Seika stood by the wall where the flame originated. The webs that glued her to the stone clung to the sleeves of her robes as they melted away. Kahel lay next to her feet, unconscious. The previously composed monk girl was now unsuccessfully trying to control her breathing. Her long hair fell around her face, hiding her expression. But using her Semblance, Shei felt it. The bloodlust that seeped from their friend by the wall was enough to kill a plant just by touching.

"She burned... the mist?" Rudy's quiet voice was covered in surprise. Shei as well only watched in awe as Seika wiped the remaining sludge off her sleeves.

She had stopped trembling. Giving a look in the direction of her partner, she raised her face. Her eyes were hidden from where Shei and Rudy sat on the floor with only the glow of Shei's staff as a light source. Unaware to either of them, Seika was glaring daggers at the seven eyed Grimm. Her eyes locked on to her six-legged target. The right one shone royal blue with rage as she charged at the monstrosity before her. She crossed her gauntlets in front of her and drew the eight hidden blades. Her weapon began to glow with yellow and red flames.

"Turn evil to ashes, Hou Danran."

She rushed the arachnid, lighting up the room with a haze of gold and red. It leapt from strand to strand, trying to escape Seika's strikes. However, every time she swiped her clawed gauntlets down on the Aranya and missed, her burning weapons melted away the webs like ice cream under the hot summer sun, reducing the number of footholds for the spider Grimm to escape to. Realizing this, the giant Aranya hissed.

HHRRRRRRRSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"It's no use crying for help." Seika spoke in a calm tone. However, her composure only made it seem more terrifying. She attacked once more, quickly ripping off the rest of the limbs before it could escape. All remaining six legs burst into flames and disappeared as ashes, leaving their owner to fall helplessly onto the floor with a thud.

HHRRRRRRRSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It hissed once more, sounding desperate without its limbs.

"It's a call?" Rudy's voice was soft but audible as Shei was just beside him.

"What is?!"

"It's calling–! Not good!" He brought himself up only to fall back down. It seems like his injured leg failed him. "KILL IT NOW! BEFORE THEY GET HERE!"

Hearing his voice, Seika hesitated for a second, allowing the Aranya to hiss out once more.

HHRRRRRRRSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HHHHRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Answering their mother's cry, holes started to burst open from the ceilings and walls. Small thin legs sprouted out of the holes and out came pouring a horde of smaller Aranyas. They came gushing like a river, seemingly endless as they covered the stone chamber's surface.

Shei tried to think what to do next. Seika had moved over to Kahel's unconscious body and tried to protect her from the approaching black and white waves. Rudy had gotten back on his feet, although barely, and defended them both using his chain-linked whip. They were completely surrounded and death seemed to loom over them all.

'What should I do?! What can I do?!' She began to lose all hope and sink into negative thoughts. 'No! I mustn't lose my head. I'm the only one who is able to move right now. I should think of a way to help.' She thought back on their conversation before climbing up the stairs. 'Rudy had described these creatures as light and poisonous. What else did he say?'

An idea popped in her head. She dug a small fist into one of the three pouches attached to her waist belt. She pulled back a few stone-like objects and mustered some Aura. After completing the charging, she threw a stone in each corner of the stone chamber.

"What's the plan?" Rudy asked without turning as he smashed the abdomen of the nearest Aranya. His bag was buried under the flood of spiders crawling on the floor.

"When I tell you to, get down!" She nodded in Seika's direction as well; making sure the monk girl got the message.

Picking up her staff, she held it so the mango-yellow Dust crystal was at her same-colored eye level. She extended her senses. Each crystal she threw to the corners only had a few seconds left. She breathed in and prepared for her one-shot attack.

"NOW!"

Shei shouted with all her might, sending Aura to the crystal via her staff. Rudy ducked behind her. Seika lowered herself to protect Kahel. The crystal on the tip of her staff first glowed. Then, it started to blast light in all directions. The other crystals followed suit. Red, blue, green and violet colors shone in each corner while, at the center, Shei wielded the brightest light of all. Her eyes were closed. But she could still 'see'.

The Grimm that had them surrounded was now scurrying around in a panic at the sudden exposure to light. Most of the ones near the crystals exploded and disintegrated on the spot. Only a handful made it out, crawling back into the holes they came from. The rest slowly burned away at the exposure to the radiance of the Dust crystals. Once she was sure there were none left, she stopped her Aura flow. The light of her staff slowly dimmed out while the other crystals had already lost their glow. Exhausted, Shei sat down and took deep breaths. The amount of Aura she surged into the crystal had exceeded her usual, immediately tiring her out.

Getting on his feet, Rudy picked up his duffle bag. The ashes of the Aranyas fell off his bag like finely ground powder and fell to his feet.

"You used the light of your Dust crystals to burn them away." Rudy said, sitting himself down as he cleaned his bag.

"Hmm?"

"In my panic, I nearly forgot about the fact myself when the Decrea created that mist." He spoke calmly while he checked the bag's contents. "Thank you for keeping a calm head when I couldn't."

"No." Shei raised her hands before her. "I only did it because I thought back on what you said. I never thought it would actually work though."

Rudy stopped rummaging his bag and turned quiet. Shei became nervous with the looming silence brought about by her partner.

'He's probably mad at me for risking his life like that!' Her thoughts ran wildly. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have gambled your life like that! I couldn't think of anything else to–...?"

The mouse girl's voice trailed off as she found Rudy doing something she never expected him to. He was laughing. It sounded more like trying to stifle a laugh but he was nonetheless chuckling with his back turned to her. Shei watched the sight while tiling her head in confusion until Rudy finally calmed down.

"You're a weird one." Shei was even more confused by the statement. Breathing in, Rudy added. "Here we are, in the middle of the battlefield, and you're apologizing about risking the lives of others. That's pretty considerate of you. I'm glad you allowed me to become your partner."

As Shei modestly denied the complement while blushing red, the two were reminded that they weren't the only ones there.

"Guys?!" Seika's voice was anxious. Her expression under the golden light of Shei's staff was synonymous. "Kahel won't get up!"

Jeane eyed the beast before them with fear. The giant winged beast's features were clearly defined under the light of the crystal Dust protrusions on the walls. Just by its sheer size, the blonde knight could tell. The demon before them was on a whole other level compared to the others they've faced before.

The black scaly hide seemed thick enough to resist any kind of attack, be it by sword or bullet. Its forelegs were large and muscular with two protrusions around its palm connected to the leathery webbing that formed its giant wings. A scaly chest with an armored ribcage protected its upper body while a pair of short hind legs kept the massive Grimm balanced. The bony plates that protected its spine were deathly white and covered in spikes. The tail, itself, resembled a giant pincushion with numerous spikes poking out like spears. Its head had an almost helmet-like bone mask, covered in numerous blood-like details. Large white horns protruded from behind its head while drool seeped down from its dull-toothed jaws.

Jeane was scared, but that fact was quite pointless right now.

"Heheh. Heheheheh."

It wasn't because the giant Grimm was so terrifying that it would be pointless to fear it at all.

"Hehehah. Hahahah!"

It was that someone wasn't on the same page as her.

"Hahahahah, hey, Laus." The golden headed boy was holding his stomach in pain.

"What is it?" The gray knight gave a quick glance at the laughing idiot. "Stop it. You're scaring the girls."

"Heheheh. It's just..Heheheh... It's just... Hahahah," he stammered between laughs. "Hahahah. I just remembered something..."

The girls could only stare death in its scaly face while the one with an idiotic grin on his face reminisced.

"You remember that one time you slammed that guy with your shield?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well," Reus cleared his throat. "This one looks exactly like him after that. Haaaahahahahah."

The girls could only watch as Laus quietly apologized for his friend's rude behaviour.

The wyvern took this moment as a chance. Using its powerful arms, it lunged at the four teens. The Grimm's landing shattered the floor beneath them as they evaded the surprise attack. Stone and dust was sent flying as the teens evaded and took a position a few meters away from the giant wyvern.

"Hey, Laus!" Reus spoke from near the Grimm's left leg. "Five hundred lien says I kill that thing first!"

"I'll take that bet." Laus accepted from the wyvern's right forearm. "Prepare to lose your money."

"Are you seriously gambling right now?!" Jeane could be heard from the right leg as she alternately stared at both of them.

"Where's the harm?" Reus replied to his partner's concern. "We could die anytime. Might as well have some friendly competition while we're at it."

"Besides," Laus added. "If I don't accept, Aureus will annoy the living hell out of you until you give in anyway."

Reus shot back at his friend's unnecessary comment. While Jeane berated the boys for their behaviour, Fran readied her bow. Notching a new arrow, she smiled at their exchange. A thought quickly flew by at the back of her mind.

'At least we'll be smiling when we die.'

The Grimm, however, was impatient with their exchange. It raised its right claw and swiped at Laus' ready tower shield. The sudden force sent him flying back but not hurt. He kept his posture and landed with perfect form.

"Hey Reus!" The knight readied his lance. "A thousand lien says I blast its heart first."

"Haaah." Jeane drew their attention. "If that's how you're gonna play it, then let's make things interesting. Let us girls join the fun."

With a mischievous smile of agreement, Reus got to work. Running straight for the wyvern's leg, he accelerated himself using an Aura blast from his left hand. It sent him flying straight for the beast's left flank where he impaled his glowing baton's cylindrical barrel guard-deep into the Grimm's flesh, forcing out a howl of pain.

"How's that, you overgrown lizard?!"

Responding in kind, the wyvern swung its tail, trying to shake him off. Fending off the spear-like appendage, Jeane used her own spear to parry it away from her partner.

"Stop messing around and get serious about it already!" Jeane threw the relic sword in his direction before fully concentrating on the tail's vicious movements.

"All right! All right already!" Reus caught the sword and sent his golden Aura pouring into the blade, sharpening it into a glowing sword similar to his baton.

"Cut off its tail!" Jeane parried another swipe directed at her chest. "Maybe we could tip its balance."

Reus did as he was told and held tight to his main weapon. With the baton acting as a grip, he swung the glowing relic down on the tail. The thick scales melted before contact. The flesh was seared black right where the dented blade passed through. The tail fell off and immediately disintegrated into the air. The remaining stump had blood spilling out of it.

RAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGRRRRRRR

Raging in pain, Reus was thrown off of its rear, spilling black blood around it. He flew halfway across the chamber as the Grimm turned its attention to the other blonde. The left claw was flung in Jeane's direction, but before it made contact, the wyvern's face was hit by an exploding arrow to the side, causing its aim to fail and dramatically miss the Arc girl's body by half a meter.

"I'll cover you!"

Fran readied her second arrow, colored blue, and moved closer to the blonde girl. She took a stance and aimed for the disoriented head through her bow sight. She pulled hard and released the bowstring. The arrow flew straight at the Grimm's throat. However, with a quick twist of its neck, the wyvern opened its mouth and snapped shut in a split second, biting off the metallic blade tip and swallowing it up.

"What the hell?!"

"Dammit!"

With Jeane frozen in shock beside her, Fran took out another arrow from her quiver over her left shoulder. But before she could notch it on her bow, the Grimm reeled back its long neck and opened its mouth. Small shrapnel made from ice flew at the two girls.

"Jeane!" Fran reacted first. "Get behind me!"

The blonde's vision was blocked as the hooded hunter moved in front of her. The flying shrapnel struck and sent a hollow clang through the air. Jeane couldn't believe her eyes. Fran held her long compound bow before her by its grip and pulled a hidden lever near the bow sight. The seemingly fragile weapon quickly changed in appearance. Two metal rods extended out from the grip, expanding a metallic sheet connected to the limbs.

The shrapnel that struck the sheets were deflected with a quick wave of Fran's arm. The fully-deployed shield-bow was now the shape of a vertically stretched diamond. Grooves that formed a clawed imprint on the exposed metal flaps decorated its outer shell. A small eye-hole was aligned with the bow sight while another hole for the launched arrows opened up just below it.

Fran notched the blue arrow. Her eerie blue-green eye gazed through the sights and released the arrow. The wyvern's open jaw froze on impact and stayed open, unable to roar or shut.

"NOW!"

Reus' voice was heard from behind the stunned beast. Before the giant Grimm could react, several golden lights wrapped its neck, chest and forelegs from behind, pulling it away from the girls. The chains formed from light now exposed the creature's armored chest.

"Go, go, go!"

Laus came into view from the opposite side. His shield was in gauntlet form with both hands on the lance. He jumped and aimed a two-handed thrust for the heart. It penetrated. He immediately pulled the trigger on his ring finger.

BOOM

All of the muzzles on the cylindrical lance shot out Thrown back by his lance's recoil, Laus opened a hole in its upper torso. Fran took this as her cue and fired a crimson arrow into the cavity. It exploded on impact, causing the beast to go limp. It fell on its back with a loud thud.

"Whew," Reus, behind the Grimm the entire time, released his light chains. The relic sword was impaled on the ground beside him. The boy sat on the floor and tried to catch his breath.

"Guess it's our win?" Fran had a smile on her face as she, Jeane and Laus approached the exhausted boy.

RAAAAAAGGGGGGRRRR

They stopped in their tracks. The sight they turned to was unbelievable. The giant wyvern Grimm was getting up. Flipping off of its back, it supported itself with its giant forearms. A crater the size of an Alpha Beowolf stole their attention. A hollow cavity within a ribcage could be seen. Black blood streamed like a river, creating a pool on the ground. The owner of the black blood crushed the ice blocking its jaws. It growled in a low posture, seemingly ready to pounce.

"How in the hell can it still move?" Jeane's question was answered immediately.

A cloud of black smoke erupted from the giant Grimm's injuries. Through the smoke, the scaly cavity started to shift and convulse. Slowly, the injuries began to close up, stopping the flow of blood. Once the blood stopped dripping, bony plates popped out and covered the exposed chest. A new tail quickly sprouted out of the short stump behind it.

"(Sigh) Guess it won't be that easy."

Reus readied his weapon in pistol form while sending Aura through the relic. Laus expanded his shield and reloaded his lance. Fran ripped off the vines holding the relic shield and passed it to Jeane.

"You're gonna need it more than we do."

Nodding at her friend's advice, she took the shield and strengthened it with a stream of Aura.

The beast was back to its former glory. It sent a howl their way before slamming its forearm to the ground. The force sent boulders flying in their direction, forcing them to scatter. Laus and Fran took a position to the left while the blonde pair moved to the opposite side.

"I'll trap it again," Reus called out. "Let's take out its entire chest this time."

'That's not going to work!' a transmission from Jeane stopped his train of thought.

'Why not? We can't be sure until we try again.'

'Trust me. It won't work.'

'Then what's your plan?'

Jeane gave Reus a smile before mentally replying.

"You need to work on your Semblance more often."

The beast was irritated. The humans managed to cut off its tail and blow away its chest in their attempts to slay it. They outnumbered it, four to one. Using its intellect, it decided to fix that. Raising its head, it closed its reptilian eyes and used its other power. It sent a wave of negativity flowing through its body, turning the residual energy into a form that it spilled out of its own body. This power was acquired through experience and massive amounts of negativity that it hoarded over the years. The fight with these humans will end now.

"We move in on my signal," Jeane called out to the other two.

"Got it! Wait! What the hell?!"

Laus and Fran's anxious voices indicated trouble. The source was their enemy in the center. Viscous black sludge slid down the wyvern Grimm's sides, dripping onto the floor. The sludge puddles emanated black smoke and out of the smoke came the creatures of darkness. The creatures of Grimm sprouted out of the black pools, forming a defensive line around their larger predecessor. Beowolves, Ursae, and Creeps comprised the horde.

"This," Laus readied a defensive stance. "This is really bad."

"What do we do?" Fran fired her arrows at the hoard. "Jeane?!"

While the other two were kept busy by the newly spawned beasts, Jeane remade her plan.

'Reus, I need a light show. Can you do it?'

'Already on it.'

Reus had a wall of light behind him. With Jeane defending in front of him, he fired his Semblance in the form of energy balls at the massive horde. The army of monsters burned away as soon as the beams pierced their bodies. The mother wasn't happy about it. As soon as the last one met its doom, the wyvern lunged at the blonde pair.

The two split up, avoiding the danger, but its attention was directed at Reus. It lunged after him only to be stopped by more golden chains. They wrapped around its neck and hind legs before it could hurt the boy. But the creator of the chains wasn't Reus.

"Hurry up and do it!"

Jeane held the Grimm in place. Sprouting out of the relic shield were the chains attached to the wyvern. Reus followed suit, sending more chains out of the wall of light and his weapons, wrapping the Grimm's torso and tail. The wyvern howled, sending more sludge dripping all around. However, before the Grimm could spawn, a hail of arrows and shells rained down on the wyvern and its children, killing the little ones instantly.

"Fran, Laus! Ready?!"

The two readied their weapons in confirmation. Jeane and Reus pulled tight on their respective chains. Aura flowed like a stream through the golden metal, turning it white-hot.

The Grimm's body was burned to a crisp. Its tail, limbs, body and neck all disintegrated like paper being thrown in a furnace. The only thing that remained was its head. As it fell down to the ground, the neck started to smoke. It was trying to regenerate.

"Not this time."

An arrow impaled one of the reptilian eyes. It exploded, encasing the head in ice. Laus had launched himself into the air, and attacked the falling block of ice. It broke on impact and the scaly head shattered into a million pieces of black glass.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah." With a tired sigh, Jeane fell on her back. "You win this round, pineapple."

Snickering at the remark, the other three fell on their backs, exhausted.

"How did you know... that the head was its weakness?" Laus reloaded his lance just in case.

"Its chest didn't hold the heart." Jeane said while staring at the ceiling above them. "Its head was the second vital thing that popped in y head."

"Well, we're lucky it's over," Reus' breathing was heavy. "I can't stand anymore."

"What's the matter, Rex? Too weak after taking on a giant Grimm?"

"Shut up, Arc. I don't have the energy to deal with you now."

Fran giggled at their exchange as she lay beside her sitting partner. Laus was the first to get up.

"Now, how do we get up there?" He dusted the gray shirt under his chest plate as he stared up the collapsed stairway.

"I have an idea." His hooded partner got up and readied her bow.

The climb was comprised of two steps. The first was creating a path up and the second was climbing it. Using her last blue arrows, Fran created icicle handholds for their climb. It took less than twenty minutes for all of them to get to the upper chamber. However, the sight that awaited them was unexpected.

"For the last time, what the hell were you doing to me, you pervert?!"

"Kahel, enough! You're choking him!"

"Please stop! He was only trying to help!"

Wearing a white tank top and black short shorts, an orange-haired, red-faced fox girl had a copper-headed boy in a beret, duffle coat and charcoal pants pinned to the wall. Directly behind her, a short, mousy-haired mouse girl and a taller, dark haired girl had their arms around her shoulders, trying all they could to pry their friend from killing the boy.

"Kahel, stop it! If you continue, you'll both die!"

"What do you mean?! I won't stop until this scum is–"

"Kahel?!"

"KAHEL!"

The fox girl released her grip, letting the boy go. However, she, as well, fell on the floor, unconscious. Coughing out and catching his breath, Rudy breathed in heavily.

"I told you to stay still. You're letting the poison spread faster if you move too much."

"Rudy, what should we do?" Shei's voice indicated her panic. Seika's anxious expression beside her was apparent as well.

"Both of you, calm down." Rudy straightened himself out. "Shei, could you give me my bag, please."

He got down on one knee beside the unconscious Faunus and lifted her up. With a hand to her forehead, he checked her temperature. After that, he moved a finger to her carotid artery to check her pulse where Jeane and the others noticed a blackened mark on the girl's shoulder.

"Burning up... slower pulse..." he muttered under his breath as he resumed his check. When Shei brought him his duffle bag, he let Seika support her partner's body and dove both hands into the bag.

"It should be–Ahh! Dammit!"

"What's wrong?"

He pulled out a corked vial from the bag.

"The Aranya Decrea's attacks must've shattered it on impact. This was the only antivenom I brought with me."

"You carry antidotes with you all the time?"

"Depending on the location," Rudy answered Reus' inquiry as quickly as he could before returning to his bag.

"Then, does this mean we can't cure her?!" Seika's voice was getting hysterical.

"No, she can be cured as long as we get her to the nearest hospital," he replied to the trembling monk. "But only if she can live that long."

"Then, what should we do?" Jeane wanted to help out.

"Could you four, please open up a way out of this hole. One that leads straight out of here would be most preferable."

"I'll help them. Seika, stay with Rudy."

"Right!" Seika obeyed the shorter girl's words and stayed by Rudy as he gave her instructions. Shei followed the other four to search for the thinnest part of the ceiling to break out of.

"What do I need to do?"

"Hold her steady for me while I try to get the poison out."

"How will you do it?"

"I'll suck it out."

Rudy's answer was so laid-back that Seika nearly dropped her partner to the floor. The copper headed boy pulled out a small bottle that contained a clear liquid.

"Since it only damaged her skin, the poison shouldn't have gone too deep yet. I'll use this solution to force her skin to release it."

"I see. For a second there, I thought you really were going to suck it out. My mistake. Heheh."

"Of course, I'll have to suck it out myself as well," Rudy added with a straight face. "If I don't, the poison that already seeped in could kill her faster."

"..."

"..."

"Do what you can."

"I plan to."

Rudy got to work while Seika stayed there, taking every detail of his procedure into her memory like a sponge in water.

The chamber's exit was quickly found. Shei found a soft spot in the ceiling covered in numerous webs beside a large tree root and asked Laus and Reus to punch a hole in it. They blasted it open with ease and were able to climb out of the chamber. Jeane was the first to get out and was met with a beautiful sight.

The silver moon glowed with a bluish light as its shattered pieces trailed after it in the night sky. The numerous stars that littered the black world above seemed to blink down at them. The rushing cold air of the night indicated that they were somewhere up high. Just as Jeane was about to report her findings down below, a voice stopped her.

"Good evening, Ms. Arc. I trust that you were all successful in your retrieval mission earlier today."

Jeane turned to face the silver-haired headmaster of Beacon. His dishevelled hair was tousled by the wind but the green-clad man seemed unaffected as he took a sip from his mug of coffee. She noticed another person under the light of the moon. Glynda Goodwitch quickly approached with her riding crop was at her side. A worried expression was plastered over her beautiful face.

"Is everyone of you all right? Are you all accounted for?"

Jeane was a bit drawn back from the sudden questioning but replied immediately as best as she could.

"All eight of us are here, but we have one injured. She needs medical attention."

It only took her less than ten seconds to relay their urgency. It only took Glynda five to completely lift the plot of land that acted as the ceiling to the chamber and build a staircase out of the stones for them to climb up to.

Ushered out with the help of a concerned Goodwitch, the eight Initiates made their way out and rushed straight for the school grounds. Left to gaze up at the shattered moon, Ozpin took a sip, emptying his mug. The cold breeze was his only company.

"They'll do, for now."

No one was there to hear his words, no one except for the shattered moon.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES: Due to my status of being a college student, life will be quiet harsh on me for a while. Between projects, assignments and finding a path for this story to take, the stress that piles up is only relieved by the writing I finish on my time off and you guys, the readers that take their time to read my work.**_

 _ **I thank you all from the bottom of my heart by uploading two chapters(I had to split the 24,000-word chapter into two 12,000's because damn that's long) that covers the end of Initiation. I can only hope that this is not the worst I have done as I completely know that I suck at fight scenes. I wish that you guys could show more support by reviewing them when you have time because, let's be honest, I have no idea how bad they are. I just know they are really, really bad.**_

 _ **Plot-wise, I will NOT be taking the recently finished Season 3 into account. EVER. Because, for me, I will NOT accept it. At least, for now. This story will be taking a more separate approach to the RWBYverse, although I will still take a few bits and pieces from canon material. I had already planned to add a giant Grimm but apparently, RT beat me to it. XD I did add that little Grimm-Spawner function though. It was better than making the wyvern lay giant black eggs.**_

 ** _As a last note for this month's update, I will tell you all something. Even though I am extremely behind on my updates for this year, I still wish to continue writing more fanfics about the RWBY gang. I want to write a story where they are all still together, happy kids that fight evil, silly teens and their romances, all that kind of stuff. But because of the dark turn in RWBY, it became hard to think of the characters as the same ones I met when I was first introduced to them. So I made a decision before the last episode for Season 3 aired. I will write more stories based on both the happy times and the sad ones in the RWBYverse. I already have two plots ready. One of them is a simple romance. The other is actual war. Tell me which one you want to read first and I'll see what I can do._**

 ** _RWBY is really a door to another world. One day, you're fighting to save your friends. The next, you're watching the people you care about vanish with the wind._**

 ** _It's funny, actually. When I tried to become a writer, the first thing I realized was that, in the worlds I create using my words, I become fate. I control their lives, their actions, their hearts. It becomes almost too painful as well as blissful that I can become their creator, savior and even their killer._**

 ** _I'm not saying that it hurts so much that I want to stop writing. I'm saying that, until now, I never realized how hard it is for a creator to make things and watch them slowly break and fade away in front of their very eyes. I'm guessing it's like how a parent feels when their child dies before they do._**

 ** _It's no wonder that everyone wants to become the hero. They give their lives to save the day, but they never actually live to see if their sacrifice was worth it. In the end, they just have to have faith._**

 ** _Ain't that a bitch._**


	10. Chapter 9: Anxiety's Relief

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, OZPIN?!"

A blonde haired woman slammed both of her palms on the metal-rimmed, glass desk before her. The thud that accompanied was soon drowned out by the continuous tick-tocks of the Tower's gears. The man who owned the desk, however, kept his calm as he stared out of the large window of his office. A cane leaned on the chair next to him. The stars had started to fade from view as the sun slowly rose across the horizon.

"As the headmaster of this school, you have a responsibility of taking care of your students. What you did placed them in great danger! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"I won't make any excuses. I know full well that it was risky."

"If you did, then why didn't you let me stop them before they entered that cave? Throwing them into a forest for a controlled test is one thing, but to let them wander into a nest of unidentified Grimm–!"

"Letting them face the situation on their own was necessary."

"Necessary? Necessary?! Ozpin, one of them nearly died! Another had a severe injury that he didn't even notice himself! Even as the head of this school, doing what you did could've done more than just jeopardize your position in this academy!"

"Glynda," the headmaster finally turned to face his colleague. "Your anger concerning my actions is perfectly justified."

His calm expression as he sipped a bit of coffee didn't change, even when he spoke after placing the mug on the desk.

"But you must understand that the things I do this for a purpose. It was never my intention to recklessly put their lives on the line, but I needed a way to test their limits."

"Their limits?!" Glynda removed her palms from the desk's glassy surface. "Why on Remnant would these children warrant your attention that you'd willingly let them face an Unknown-Class Draconis without as much as a warning?!"

"Time is not on our side. To make sure that all the available pieces would be able to stand on their own, I needed to place them in a scenario where even we won't be able to help them."

"If the council finds out about your actions, you might even be removed from the player's chair before you make a move."

"It's a part of my responsibilities as headmaster. I won't resist if they try to have me removed, but this is something I have to do."

Glynda pushed her glasses to her face. Breathing in, she let out a small sigh before speaking with a more peaceful tone.

"Why must you always do things that would easily make others lose trust in you, Oz? Taking responsibility as the headmaster is one thing, but to take on all of the burden–"

"Headmaster or not, I am a Huntsman first, Glynda. Protecting the world should come before me. I need to know just how much that those children can take before passing them the responsibility they were entrusted with the moment they stepped into this school."

Glynda Goodwitch gave in after Ozpin's last sentence. Throughout the time she and the headmaster had spent together, she learned everything she needed to know about him through observation. Never would he abandon his comrades even when hope was fickle. The man was never one to take drastic measures without having a desperate situation presented to him. It was something she learned long ago. Ozpin was a reliable person at heart and she trusted him more than she'd care to admit.

The headmaster took his seat and leaned back, turning the chair to face the window once more. The sky was burning with an amber light as the sun had fully risen from its slumber. Glynda sighed at the beautiful sight. She gave one look to the gray-haired man's back and understood that he wasn't looking at the view because of its beauty. She cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"Then, back to the real matter I came to discuss with you today." She picked up and activated her black scroll.

"Everyone from yesterday's Initiation, except for Ms. Grenard and Mr. Evergreen, has made a full recovery overnight. It's a little late, but we can expend some time for the announcement of teams before class officially starts today. Should I handle the broadcast myself or would you like to say a few words to the first years?"

Ozpin got up from his seat, picking up his cane. He started walking in the direction of the elevator.

"Cancel all classes scheduled for today, including the upper levels. Tell the other instructors to gather at the meeting hall by 5PM."

"Ozpin?"

"I'm heading down to check her condition. I'll be at the broadcast room at noon to officially reveal the Team assignments."

"Then, I'll meet you–"

"No."

The headmaster stopped before the silver doors. He didn't turn to face her and, instead, waited for the elevator doors to open.

"Go to the infirmary. Check on Mr. Evergreen and Ms. Grenard."

"Are you sure, Oz?"

"Professor Goodwitch," she flinched at his use of formality. "I have placed these children in great danger just a few hours ago. As an instructor, you are adept at giving them the support they need right now, more so than I. Please show them the concern that they deserve."

With that, the elevator doors opened and Ozpin entered. Without waiting for her to get in, the doors slid shut and the lights above indicated the headmaster's descent from the Emerald Tower.

Left alone in the ever-ticking office, Glynda checked her scroll. The device beeped, indicating a newly received message. After a quick look, she decided to descend down as well. While she waited for the elevator, she turned to look out the office window as well. The sky was painted with a warm light of the new day. The view was refreshing, but, noticing Ozpin's low-spirited behaviour today, she understood his actions the previous day.

"Even if we were running out of time, Ozpin," she spoke to herself. "That doesn't mean you should shoulder everything yourself."

With a ding, the elevator doors opened. She entered accompanied by the clicks of her heels. She pressed the button for the Ground Level and waited for the doors to close. One last look at the sunlight and she whispered to herself once more.

"Please hold on for his sake, Amber."

The doors closed and the gears of the empty Tower continued to sound with no one to listen to the steady rhythm of their ticking.

Kahel opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was white. 'Where am I?' was the first thought that registered. She slowly took a look around the room. The back of her head was throbbing. A clean ceiling, white, non-transparent curtains and a small window were the first things she recognized.

'A hospital?' She heard the morning bell from the open, bedside window. 'The infirmary.'

She pushed the clean sheets off her body. She noticed that she was dressed in a white gown, similar to what patients would wear. Her head throbbed again. She tried to massage her temples only to realize that she couldn't raise her left arm normally.

Kahel soon found out why. Her left shoulder all the way to her neck was covered with a blue-colored patch. A few more covered her back, just above the left ribcage where her heart was beating calmly. The material of the patch was slightly stiff, resisting her attempt to raise her arm.

"When did I–?"

"Already awake?"

A recognizable voice could be heard from behind the curtains. She pulled them back to see Rudy Evergreen, sitting up on a bed wearing a gown similar to hers. The only difference between the two was that he had a cast on his right leg. In his hands, he held a brown, leather-bound book with a faded title. Surprisingly, he wore a brown nightcap on top of his head. A rod leaned on the wall beside the bed. Shei sat on the visitor's chair, sleeping soundly with a sheet over her petite form.

"You're up early for someone who was hit by poisonous acid."

"What are you doing here?" She spat the words with sarcasm.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm recovering from my injuries." Rudy replied in a soft voice. "And could you please lower your voice a little? They've only been asleep for around five hours. Unlike us, they need their rest."

The boy in the nightcap gestured over to the wall opposite her bed, where Seika slept while sitting with her legs crossed on the chair. Next to her, a blonde girl slept with her head leaning on a green hunter's shoulder. Between the two, Seika seemed to be more comfortable than the Arc girl who was murmuring in her sleep.

"If you understand now, let them sleep." Rudy returned his attention to the small book.

"Why are they here?"

"You're quite dense, aren't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"They were worried about you. Losing consciousness in the middle of a fight usually spells your doom, but they believed that you'd pull through."

Although he didn't seem to be acting sarcastic on purpose, Kahel was somewhat annoyed by his choice of words. She decided to move to the edge of her bed. Wanting to stretch, she slipped her legs out from under the sheets.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Rudy advised while bringing his book closer to his face.

She ignored his words and got up from the bed anyway. That's when she felt the breeze. It was slightly colder than she expected, even for early spring. Her tail wagged a bit in surprise. The wafting wind from the open window suddenly blew in, causing her hospital robe flutter slightly.

"Please get back to your bed." His face was practically glued to the pages as he averted his gaze.

Realizing her mistake, Kahel swiftly jumped back to her bed and rolled into a ball under the sheets. Her tomato-red face was hidden by the aid of the blanket and the white tips of her orange locks.

'Ah damn. Why am I so careless? Did he see? Of course he did, you idiot! You klutz! You know it's against the rules! Why were you so careless around a human, you stupid, stupid?!' Her thoughts were in a flurry of self-disgust. 'Ah, if Granny saw me now–'

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't see anything?"

She stopped her train of thought from rampaging any further and stole a glance to the boy. He kept a straight face while continuing to read his book. At first she thought he was only hiding behind it, that is until he flipped a page.

"How..." she gulped. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't." He answered flatly. "But just so you know, I have no reason to lie about it."

'He says he didn't see anything. That means I'm in the clear! But wait! If he's lying, he might do something while tricking me. But he says he doesn't have a reason to lie. If that's the case, then I don't have anything to worry about.'

She stayed silent, weighing her options.

"Can... Can I take your word for it?"

He gave her a nod behind his book.

'If he lied, then it's my fault. But if he's telling the truth and I don't believe him...'

She made her choice. Peaking from behind her orange hair, she spoke.

"I'm not sure whether to believe you or not."

Rudy watched the girl with caution from his bed. His eyes were sincere as far as Kahel could tell.

"But I'll believe you."

"If that's what you want," he nodded while flipping a page.

A long moment of absolute silence passed between the two. Rudy continued to read. Kahel, on the other hand, had questions swirling within her mind. She had doubts of trusting the boy, but she dwelled more on how he could say such words with a straight face.

'Normally, when a girl is accidentally seen naked by a guy, the guy tries to deny it while glowing in embarrassment. But how can he look so honest? If it's the truth and he really didn't see anything, I can't doubt him now, can I? But if he's lying, why isn't he even turning red? What am I missing?'

She contemplated the facts she knew. Sad to say, though, her sources for such facts are hardly what a normal person can call reliable.

"How's your shoulder? Anything feeling out of place since you woke up?" Rudy tried to break the icy silence.

"...It's...fine. Nothing to worry about..."

"I see."

"..."

"..."

"Uhm..."

"Yes?"

"Why are my clothes gone?"

"The doctor who examined you wanted to make sure you weren't hit anywhere else. Remember that spider from last night?"

Kahel nodded with her back turned. She wanted to hide her face as much as possible.

"The poison sludge it shot at you burned away part of your coat. Luckily, your coat was thick enough so not all of the acid made it through. The patches on your back cover all of places where the poison was soaked up by your skin. If too much did, I don't think first aid would've helped long enough to get you to a hospital. Your clothes were taken by the professor for disinfection."

"Hmm...," Kahel wondered for a while before asking. "Who performed the first aid?"

"Your partner did. You should thank her later." Rudy quietly answered without hesitation.

"I'd do it even if you didn't tell me to."

Rudy shrugged and flipped a page as he continued reading. Curious about his deep concentration, Kahel decided to ask, unknowingly turning to completely face him in the process.

"What's it about?"

"This book?"

She nodded while Rudy paused for a moment, thinking how to explain.

"It's a story of a partially-disabled researcher. It tells about the adventures he and his armor-wearing younger brother have while helping others in need."

"Partially-disabled?"

"He lost an arm and a leg when he was a child. If I say anymore, I might spoil the story."

Getting interested, the fox girl spoke up.

"What kind of adventures do they go on?"

"It's mostly about how they help out people by using their knowledge of science. It doesn't go well all the time, though. Some of the characters try to refuse their help, mostly because they were afraid of his power and knowledge. But they help anyway and end up getting chased out by the people they tried to save."

"Why do they do it?" Kahel asked, finding interest in the character's stubbornness.

"From what I've already finished reading, he became a researcher because he wanted to fix something he did in the past. But in order to complete his research, he needs to find something, something others consider to only be a myth."

Rudy sounded slightly elated that the fox girl grew even more curious.

The way they conversed felt strange to Kahel. After all, the first day of their current relations with each other consisted only of yelling and annoyance. The thought of even calling it a 'relationship' was unthinkable. As she didn't want it to remain as is, she decided to try and work past the first misstep. Even if she thought he was a bit of a confusing jerk when they first met, she didn't like being on bad terms with seemingly honest people.

"It could be a bit boring if you're not into it though," he added.

"Hmmm. Fictional fantasy?"

"Not really. The characters have a power similar to Semblances and they call it science. They also have other science-related themes so I think it's more of a sci-fi than fantasy."

"Is it good?"

"Not the best I've read but it's interesting."

"A series?"

"Three volumes with nine chapters each. The chapters are usually divided into four or five parts."

"Does it have a happy ending?"

"I'm not sure. I've only finished the first volume."

"But do you think it does?"

Rudy stared at the girl before answering. Her eyes were glowing, surprisingly aimed at the book. Yearning and curiosity were eminent in her golden-honey orbs.

"I guess I wish it did."

Kahel's tail was wagging slowly. Her interest only seemed to grow even more.

"Do you... think I could borrow it? When you're done, of course."

"If you want to," Rudy slowly nodded in affirmation and returned to reading.

The room became silent once more.

The question only came out because Kahel was a bit of a reader. Although she did have a tendency to act wildly during a fight, she liked to calmly read books once in a while. There were even occasions where she would feel more excited about a story than a fight. It was the reason she picked up the stone-bound book relic in the first place, making an excuse to her partner that it was lighter and easier to carry. Her tail wagged left and right in anticipation for a new story to read.

Silently watching the two, a pair of eyes slowly shut to continue observing the pair under the pretence of sleeping. One of the jewels, a fiery red, eyed the boy with curiosity. Her gaze went unnoticed by the two patients and that was fine. What concerned the owner of the blazing gem was what the boy said to her partner.

Before Kahel could continue their conversation, the sound of a door sliding open interrupted their conversation. Two voices spoke from outside the quiet room. One of them was cheery and carefree. The other's was stern and orderly.

"I see. I'll pass it on to the other teachers. Then I'll be leaving the patients in your care, Glyn."

"Please stop calling me that. Where's your sense of professionalism in front of the students?"

"I get it. I get it. Sheesh. You seriously need to relax. Both you and Oz are working too hard. We should get a drink together sometime. Let's invite Pete too! His stories are just perfect for the drinking atmosphere."

"Honestly, Professor Peach. It's only eight in the morning of the first day of classes and you want us, the teachers, to go get drunk?"

"Fiiiine," the carefree voice sighed in defeat. "I'll go drink on my own for n–OW!"

Punishment was served in the form of a loud slap that could be heard from inside the infirmary.

"Owowowowow, that hurt, Glyn. It was only a j– OK! I get it! I get it! No drinking for me! Please! Not the head!"

"Finally, you listen to reason. Back to business, how are they?"

"Owowow. Hm? Oh! Oh! You mean the kids. Meh. The boy should be fine by now. He can go as soon as he wakes up. Just use the scissors in my desk to remove his cast. But keep the girl in there until lunch. I don't want to force her up on her feet after taking a hit like that. Honestly, I was freakin' out. Not many kids could survive from a Decrea's poison. She's lucky now, but I don't want her to push that luck just because her clothes were so thick. Seriously, though. Who wears a fire retardant coat that thick? Winter season's already over too. I do want to talk to whoever gave her first-aid, though."

"I'll see what I can do then. Thanks again, Peach."

"You still owe me a drink after thi–AGAH! On second thought, nevermind!"

The door slid shut before being replaced by the clicking of heels. It sent chills down Kahel's spine as Professor Glynda Goodwitch came into view. By then, the remaining sleepers all awoke to the sight of the teacher.

"Good morning, professor. Would it be alright if I took my leave now?" Rudy was quick. So much so that even the professor paused a whole two seconds before nodding her head.

"You're fine now, Rudy?" Shei rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands.

"The doctor said I should be fine by now. I don't feel any more pain either."

"Be sure to fill out the notice form before you go." Glynda reminded the boy. "Professor Peach is... not available right now."

Rudy simply nodded before closing the blinds to his bed. The sound of ruffling clothes indicated he was in the middle of changing.

"Now," Glynda turned to the girls along the wall who all woke up at the sound of her heel clicks. "Seeing as your classmates are expected to get a full recovery, the rest of you should head for your dorms. The only reason you were allowed to sleep here up until morning was that you were all too exhausted to leave your seats. Not to worry, children. Classes have been moved up to tomorrow, so you can all take it easy for the rest of the day."

She turned to face the fox on the bed.

"Ms. Grenard, is it alright if I ask you how you're doing?"

"I'm... I'm alright now... Thank you..." She spoke to the instructor with a hint of caution in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Glynda brought up her scroll, flipping through with practiced movements. "You haven't felt anything strange since you woke up?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Good." The teacher gave her a genuine smile before facing the closed curtains. "And what about you, Mr. Evergreen?"

"I woke up approximately two hours ago. Felt a slight pain in my leg so I asked for the nurse who was present for some painkillers before she left. She should've logged it down if I wasn't daydreaming."

Glynda checked the data on her scroll. He must've been correct as all she did was nod and proceed to the next question. The sound of a bag being zipped up meant he was almost done.

"Is it alright if I ask you what happened last night?"

The blinds were moved and there he stood. His clothes were the same from last night, duffle coat and charcoal pants. His cast was gone as he leaned on his bedpost for support. His nightcap had been replaced by his black beret.

"Where do I start, ma'am?"

"When you entered the caves to search for the other Initiates is fine."

Rudy then told the instructor about the plan to find his partner's friends by blasting a hole into the mountain face. He described the spelunking experience, about how large the tunnel system was, about how they were separated and found each other again at the last chamber. His details were concise and to the point. He finished his explanation in less than two minutes, impressing all of those present with his efficiency.

"In short, the two of you, alongside your partners, Ms. Strega and Ms. Akanohi, were able to defeat the Aranya Decrea that made the upper chamber its nest while Ms. Arc, Ms. Bea, Mr. Miles and Mr. Rex fought and defeated the larger Grimm that slept in the lower chamber, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Is there... anything else that you would like to add?" Glynda eyed the boy while saving the memo she made on her scroll. "Like who performed Ms. Grenard's preliminary treatment, perhaps?"

"That would be me, ma'am."

Seika took her cue and spoke up from behind the teacher. Rudy's gazed lingered in her direction for only a moment before darting back to his things. His rod sat balanced on his palm.

"I see. When you have the time, could you please meet with Professor Peach? She's quite interested in how you did it."

"I'll do so when I can, Professor."

Rudy slung his duffle bag over his shoulder. His rod in one hand was compressed, a bit shorter and thicker compared to its original form. With a limping gait, he turned and walked towards the exit.

"I'll be going on ahead then."

"Ah, wait up! I'll take my leave as well, Professor. Hope you get better, Kahel." Shei rushed after her partner.

Seika stood up and followed after the two. Turning to face her partner, she quickly explained with a smile. "I'll retrieve your uniform. Wouldn't want to walk around the school dressed like that now, do you?"

Following close after the trio, Jeane and Fran also took their leave, waving to Goodwitch and Kahel on their way out. The door slid open and all of them left. Before leaving, Rudy turned to his fellow patient.

"I guess I'll lend you the first book later then."

With door closed and five of them gone, Kahel was left in the care of Ms. Goodwitch. Nervous, Kahel glanced at the blonde teacher.

"Don't worry, Kahel. I'm not here to scold you again." The fox sighed. "That is, as long as you don't cause any more trouble, is that understood?"

Her answer to the blonde was a series of nods that was highlighted by the alert, pointed ears on top. The instructor smiled at the cute reaction and continued on.

"So, do you think you found a good enough partner for the next four years?"

"She's not a bad person or fighter. I just hope I don't slow her down."

"Then you'd better do your best," reassured the blonde teacher. "Teams here are permanent for the duration of your stay and there are no exceptions. You'd better take care of each other, is that understood?"

Although her tone was serious, the smile she added gave Kahel a new perspective regarding the strict teacher.

"Yes, Professor."

"That being said, you seem to get along with the rest of your teammates even though you haven't known them for more than a day. It seems like I have no need to worry after all."

The smiling instructor's words served only to confuse the patient on the bed. Before the teacher left, a single thought plagued her mind.

'Since when was I assigned to a Team?'

Currently limping down the hallway, Rudy was subjected to few stares from curious onlookers. Aside from his rod-turned-cane, his attire made him more noticeable as he walked down the hallway filled with a handful of uniformed students. What's more, he had four attractive girls following close behind, earning a variety of curious and jealous gazes. He didn't mind though. In fact, he didn't care. He just continued his steady pace down the corridor.

The air from the open windows was cool and relaxing. It lightened the burden on his leg. Speaking of burdens, he knew he owed someone for taking one of his. 'How to get the person to carry it' wasn't actually planned out. Being a spur-of-the-moment thing, he needed a certain person's help to set the cover-up in motion.

"Rudy, wait!"

"What is it, Ms. Akanohi?"

"Seika's fine, but could you please wait. I wanna talk with you for a sec."

Propping himself on the nearby wall, Rudy stopped limping and turned to face the girl with different eye colors. The expression she wore was blank, leaving him in the dark to her motive, although he already guessed what it was about.

Fran, walking beside the Arc girl, took one look at the situation and guessed that they weren't needed. Relaying to Shei that they were going on ahead to find their respective partners, the green hooded girl walked away with a half-sleeping Jeane in tow.

"What is it?" Rudy said softly.

"Why did you lie back there?" Seika's tone was calm yet stern.

'Perfect...' His speculation was spot on.

"What? Lie?" Shei tilted her head. "What's going on?"

"Could you please answer me, Rudy?" Seika asked again.

"..." He kept his silence, trying to play the ignorance card.

"You didn't tell my partner that it was you who saved her." She crossed her arms while waiting. "Why?"

"Before anything else, I want to know something first."

Seika nodded for the boy to ask away.

"The night before, both of you simultaneously received a message from the school, didn't you?"

Shei nodded while Seika retrieved her scroll.

"You mean this?" She held out the device with its semi-transparent interface displaying a few numbers and a list of names. An image file was attached below with coordinates marked below it.

"Your dorm room location and list of roommates are similar to mine and Shei's," Rudy took one glance and resumed speaking. "It basically means that we're now officially counted as a Team here at Beacon Academy."

"So what about it?" Seika pocketed the device and faced the boy once more.

"I was doing it for the sake of my teammate" He adjusted his weight while gripping his rod. "Is that answer sufficient?"

"Only slightly," Seika answered with a flat tone. "I still have no clue as to why you'd do such a thing with just that answer to back you up."

"Then let me elaborate. Your partner's actions, don't you find them a little more conserved than the average teenager?"

"You mean the time when we met up at the caves." She thought back to their shouting at the tunnel junction. "And how she overreacts to having her tail touched?"

"..."

"...When... did that happen?"

"It was around the time we met Jeane Arc and Aureus Rex."

Rudy securely patted the beret on top of his head as a strong wind blew in.

"I did consider the idea that she would exaggerate to physical contact, I somehow expected as much. This is only a speculation, but it appears your partner's actions reflect those of the native Faunus of Menagerie."

"How are you so sure?"

"I studied about their culture in the past. Based on the similarities to your partner's mannerism, I can only assume that Kahel's somewhat related to their current generation's community to an extent."

"So? What is it about her heritage that gave you the need to lie?"

"Well, long story short, her homeland has a series of morals and laws they pass down throughout the ages as tradition. They cover many things and it just so happens that certain types of physical contact fall under the infractions of the 'marriage' clause."

Rudy lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned a little closer. The two followed suit, leaning in to listen closer.

"If word gets out on what really happened, she could be severely punished by her own. Worst case would be banishment or exile."

Shei silently let out a gasp while Seika processed this beside her.

"I see. So you did this to protect her."

Rudy nodded.

His plan went on smoothly. Her mature way of thinking was unexpected, but at least he didn't need to flat-out lie without insurance that it would work.

(Sigh)

Seika let out a small sigh and made a smile.

"I'm sorry for doubting you." Her smile vanished, replaced with a questioning gaze. "But was lying to her really necessary? Couldn't you have explained it instead of going through all this?"

"Sadly, no." Rudy lowered his head. He was anticipating this question. "She would hate herself for knowing the truth and that would be worse."

"What do you mean?" Seika inquired. "There's no way she would hate you for saving her."

"That is true," Rudy took out a familiar, empty corked vial. "But the chances of her self-punishment aren't zero."

"Self-punishment?"

Even his partner was growing curious. Rudy paused for a moment with his eyes closed. He tried to remember what he learned about the Fauna of Menagerie years ago.

"The people of Menagerie, the native Faunus especially, have exceptional traditions and customs passed down through their descendants, starting the training at an early age. They are really strict about it, almost to the point of becoming a religion or cult."

Rudy explained. His hand traced the rim of his rod-turned-cane.

"The punishment for the breach in fidelity is the entitlement of ineligibility." Rudy cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "In other words, she would be forbidden to marry at all for letting a man defile her body."

"But... wouldn't it be fine... if she kept quiet about it?" Shei asked a reasonable question.

"Unfortunately, no." Rudy shook his head. "According to psychological studies that cover their culture, guilt, honesty, and trust are the focal points for keeping their heritage strongly influential over their people. Not only are they not allowed to lie to one another, they aren't allowed to lie to themselves."

Seika paused for a while, registering his words. Shei, on the other hand, was deep in thought at the new information about her brethren from another place, beyond the Kingdom of Vale.

'(Who knew that someone of a similar race from a distant land would have far more different values than oneself?) is probably what she's thinking.' Rudy cleared his throat again to get the yellow-red clad girl's attention.

"Do you understand now?" he asked.

"Yes, but can I ask one more question?"

Rudy nodded, albeit a bit hesitant.

"Why are you going so far for someone who was a stranger to you just a few days ago?"

The boy didn't reply, or move for that matter. He simply stared back at the tall girl before him.

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

"?"

"We're a Team starting today. It's only natural for me to look out for my teammates, even if we didn't really get along at first." He kept that last part to himself though.

The blatant expression on his face relayed his honest answer, earning him a few giggles from Seika.

"You're right." She finally smiled. "Sorry, I kept pestering you for answers even though you were doing it in her best interests."

"You're forgiven." Rudy held out his hand which she took in hers. "I look forward to working with the two of you from now on."

"Likewise," she shook on it. "You're pretty perceptive, huh."

"Not really," he humbly denied it. "I'm only alert to my surroundings as a Huntsman should be."

"Still, your actions are quite... admirable," She gave her honest opinion. "So, should we grab a bite to eat?"

"Umm..." Shei quietly called their attention. "I thought you were going to get Kahel some clothes before she gets discharged?"

"Oh, right! I almost forgot! I'll go on ahead then!" With a quick wave, Seika swiftly ran down the corridor, waving back once more at the two before turning the corner.

"She's nice." Shei broke the silence between them after the monk girl disappeared from view. "They both are. Don't you think so too?"

"Yes." Rudy nodded. "I think we'll get along just fine as a team."

Starting to march forward again, Rudy continued his gait down the hall but turned to walk towards the courtyard instead.

"Uhm..." She, wondering her partner's intentions, decided to ask. "Where are you headed?"

"The weather's nice," Rudy marched on. "I think it's better if we had lunch outside."

"Eh? But I don't have any..."

Shei paused as Rudy waved a hand to stop her. Pulling out two small paper bags from his duffle bag, he handed her one. Peeking inside, she found a sandwich.

"It's a bit squashed," the bereted boy explained. "But if you're fine with it..."

"It's fine."

"Are you sure? It's small. It could hardly be called breakfast."

"No, really," Shei simply smiled and accepted the small meal. "It's fine."

"Then," returning the grin, Rudy replied. "How about a cup of tea to wake you up?"

"I would love that."

The pair continued their conversation under the clear skies of Beacon's campus. They both felt relief before they even sipped their first cup. The reason being they had found teammates they could trust, teammates that had their back. If living under the same roof could foster trust, then lying was something one of them felt they didn't need to do.

At least, not completely...

Somewhere, in one of the many hallways of Beacon Academy, a hunter and a knight wandered the open corridors.

"Aaahhhnnn..."

Soft as a sigh, a yawn poured out of a drowsy Jeane's mouth.

"Still sleepy?"

The Arc girl nodded to her friend in the green hood while rubbing the corners of her eyes.

"In hindsight, sleeping in a chair at the infirmary instead of our dorm's beds was more uncomfortable than I thought."

"Yeah," Jeane drowsily agreed. "Forgetting to take off my armor didn't help either."

The blonde stretched her limbs. The said armor parts clinked as she moved down the hall.

When all eight of them arrived at school, Kahel was immediately rushed to the infirmary. Rudy was abruptly forced to follow as soon as a nurse spotted his splinted leg. Shei and Seika, worried for their partners were forced to wait outside until Kahel's treatment was over. Rudy, being the minorly injured one, was the first patient they were allowed to visit in the ward. Jeane and Fran decided to stay with the two girls while a staff member directed Aureus and Glaus away from the group.

Fran received a message an hour later from her partner that they were only going to speak with the headmaster about what happened in the cave. He sent another message afterwards saying they were heading back to the dorms after their report was made.

Her gaze swept towards the nearby window's view of the outside. The skies, illuminated by the early morning sun, had not a single cloud floating about. The leaves on top of the trees swayed with the cool breeze.

'Beacon, a prestigious academy whose sole purpose is to create warriors to fight back the creatures of Grimm. For a combat school, this place has too many open areas and wide spaces. It feels more like an ordinary college for the business sectors.'

Fran's thoughts wandered as she looked out to the open campus. Under the early morning light, a few students, wearing casual attire, read books under the shade of a nearby tree. An older female student wearing shades jogged along the main pathway. A lock of her hair, caramel in color, stood out from the rest of the dark brown head. Her sense of fashion whilst exercising was what caught Fran's eye. Following her pace, an older male sporting short burnt-orange hair and a scarred dark-tone skin jogged just behind her. Both of them wore running shorts and had matching Beacon-print tank tops.

'They must be seniors, probably partners.'

A few more students came into view. Some wore Beacon's official uniforms, dark brown blazers for both genders, similarly brown long pants for the boys and plaid red skirts for the girls.

'So I can't really hide it under a hood now, can I?'

Her hands traced the small bumps protruding on top of her hood.

Yesterday, her secret was found out. Feeling her ears under the leather, she thought back to that time by the lake.

'I don't care if you want to hide it, but try to remember that some people can tell just by feeling.'

According to his words, he found out about it by touching her head. Now that she remembered it, he had protected them both when they fell into the lake. The velocity of their fall was almost too much for a normal person. Even if it was over water, high-speed collisions with any surface would mean certain death. And yet, he tried to save them.

'Glaus Miles.'

As of yesterday, this young man was her partner for the rest of her time at Beacon. Thoughts about how she should explain her Faunus traits to others had plagued her before entering the school. But, focusing on her goal, she had set aside those thoughts and entered anyway. Fran felt relief. Explaining aside, at least now, she didn't have to worry about hiding her heritage from her partner. What's more, he said he didn't care if she wanted to hide it. In other words, he wasn't going to pry her for a reason.

"(Sigh)" She rubbed the top of her hood. 'I was lucky though, to get a partner that wasn't scared of me because I'm a Faunus.'

Yes, that's right. She remembered the look other's gave her when she was small. Those eyes that were full of fear, full of hate, those eyes were burned into her memories as she had to put up with them all her life. In the end, it was the fear of her kind that took all she wanted away. And yet...

'Why isn't he afraid?'

The idea of someone who wasn't afraid of her being a Faunus was almost like a dream to Fran. All this time, people gave her looks of distrust, angry glares and fearful gazes. No, wait...

'Father wasn't like that...'

Unlike other humans, that man didn't get scared or angry when she came near him or even looked at him. When she had lost one of the many things she cherished most, it was that man that became her light. With him around, she started to believe that more and more humans could coexist with Faunus. Until that day...

BEEP BEEP

Lost in thought, Fran jumped in surprise as her scroll started beeping.

"Aaahhnn," another yawn popped out. "Who's it from?"

"It's Laus," she replied. "He says he and Reus are heading to the cafeteria for breakfast. He's asking if we want to join them."

"Hmmm," Jeane then made a thinking pose with her right thumb and index on her chin while her left held her right's elbow. As much as she'd like to get something to fill her grumbling stomach, she'd prefer it if the meal came from her twin's recipe instead. 'Hm? Wait a sec?'

"Since when were you and Laus close enough to be sending each other messages this regularly?"

"Hm? Oh! When the headmaster called for them, we shared contact numbers so that we could reach each other later."

"Is that all?" Jeane's gaze was skeptical but otherwise comical. A teasing grin grew at the corner of her lips.

Fran, on the other hand, remained oblivious to her friend's insinuations. She simply tilted her head in confusion under the hood while typing a reply.

BEEP BEEP

"Who could this be?" Jeane pulled out her scroll. After a while, her smug grin turned into a warm smile. "Thanks bro."

"What's up?" Fran asked.

"My brother's invited us over for a party. He says that since all classes for the day were cancelled, he wants to cook us congratulatory meal. We're allowed to bring our team he says. Team RWBY's going to be there to help out too."

'Her brother must really adore her.' She thought. The girl beside her appeared to be the same age as her, maybe older. When she met the Arc girl, she found the air of maturity that came with her appearance quite... surprising. You never see a beautiful young lady like her puking into a garbage bin everyday so she found her quite approachable.

Her attitude during a conversation with a stranger was a polite facade. But underneath, an innocent child was waiting to make new friends to play with. She may seem spoiled by her brother, but that didn't seem to affect her morals. Even for a descendant of the once-prestigious Arc family, Fran was astonished to find an honorable, competitive fighter and not a whining princess during the fight yesterday.

"But a party for breakfast may be a little too much..."

"Don't worry about it! He says we can have breakfast first and meet up for the party during lunchtime!"

'She sounds like a child excited for her birthday.' Fran smiled. "Your brother's a really generous guy. Then I'll take up his offer and tell the other two about it. Let's meet up with them first."

"We should invite Shei and her Team too."

"Hey wait!" Fran widened her eyes for a moment.

"Hmm?" Jeane looked back to her friend who had a nervous smile on her face.

"Are you sure you should be inviting friends over just like that without telling your brother?"

"Don't worry about it." Jeane reassured the green hood. "My brother likes cooking anyways so it'll be fine."

Fran sighed in defeat.

"Then, how should we contact them? I didn't get Shei's number."

"About that," Jeane twirled a lock of her hair with her index finger while turning away from Fran's gaze. "I fiddled around with her partner's yesterday so I got his! Oh and, did you know? Our room's just next to theirs."

"..."

"..."

"Jeane?"

"Hm?" The girl stopped playing with her pale-blonde strands.

"There is such a thing as going too far."

She audaciously made a proud grin that it almost seemed worrying to Fran. She wondered just how much trouble this friend of hers has caused for her twin in the past and sighed heavily for the troubles to come in the near future. Behind the cheery smile she gave her blonde friend, the hunter asked herself a question.

'If Mommy and Daddy were born human like her, would I be enjoying this normal everyday life back then like I am now?'

"ACHOO!"

"Gesundheit." Pyrrha said as she passed her partner a box of tissues.

"Thanks..."

Ripping a sheet out, Jaune wiped his nose with the paper and tried to register the chill that suddenly zapped through his spine.

'Why do I get the feeling something bad is going to happen? Hmmm, maybe I should've worded that message properly.'

Jaune snapped himself back to reality and continued working. He maneuvered himself around the small kitchenette with ease, taking vegetables and a knife out with care. Dicing the potatoes and carrots, he moved to check on the hot saucepot on the stove. He took the beef out of the pot and set it aside. He took in the red meat's alluring aroma, making sure that he timed it right. Replacing the meat, Jaune added tomato paste, chopped onions and garlic, stirring them with a wooden ladle. A few minutes passed before he added the chopped vegetables.

"Hmmm..." A smile formed on his face while he tasted the precooked meat. He then proceeded to reduce the size of the stove's flame.

He didn't want to brag but his mom told him once that he had talent when it came to cooking. Sure, it was a practical skill that was needed by an independent adult. However, the title of 'Jaune the Hero' sounded a lot more appealing than 'Jaune the Housewife' to his ears. Putting away the empty dishes, he felt a pair of arms around his waist.

"How is it?"

Pyrrha, who had been helping out as his assistant, jumped the boy from behind as Jaune finished his preparations. In retaliation, she was immediately pulled into a tender embrace by the knight-in-an-apron.

"It's almost done. It should be finished in another hour."

"It smells good. I can't wait." He felt her face nuzzling his chest. "Ren already went out to check if Team RWBY has any extra eggs."

"We ran out already?"

"No, but he says we need more for a larger cake. That and, well, Nora does have a tendency to go berserk if he doesn't make her a few pancakes every now and then so."

"Mental note: Make sure we always have extra eggs." Jaune gently pulled out of the hug and started his work on the next dish while the redhead giggled next to him.

Baking was Ren's specialty. His pancakes were Nora's favorite. And it was an established fact that if she didn't get her fills of sugar, she would bring down the hammer. It was something they didn't want to happen and tried to prevent at all costs, especially since a certain Goodwitch had it in for them. Sadly, on one occasion, Ruby's cookies had to pay the ultimate sacrifice, causing much grief and sadness that everyone, including the Valkyrie that carried out the execution, was forced to pitch in and bake her new ones.

To make sure such a tragedy never occurred again, Ren had hidden spare baked goods prepared in case of emergencies like lack of ingredients to make a new batch. Ruby, on the other hand, made sure to keep any cookies that belonged to her stowed away with lock and key, hidden only where she could find it. However, such things were not even an obstacle to a rampaging Valkyrie. In other words, it was only a matter of how long they could keep the hyper Nora at bay.

While Jaune was in deep thought, Pyrrha observed his calm features. Honestly, she could watch it all day. But that, in itself, wasn't all she wanted to do. Fuelled with desire, she eyed his sealed lips with a dangerous kind of curiosity. Ever since the first contact between them in the hallway, she wanted another round.

She couldn't describe the sensation she was feeling right now. Only that she could relate it to the feeling she got when she wanted to practice a new move she had learned from her opponent during a sparring match. Asking for it upfront felt extremely out-of-place and embarrassing. Turning her gaze downward to the sink filled with potatoes, she thought of a plan. An idea suddenly popped in her head.

"Could you wash the potatoes?"

"I'm very sorry, dear sir. However, this service isn't available."

Pyrrha's tone resembled that of a kind waitress denying his request for a refill on his drink, a playful act that was seemingly out of character for the polite redhead.

"Oh really?" Jaune decided to play along. With a distressed housewife's tone, he continued. "And just exactly how am I supposed to get these preparations for the salad done before the stew is finished?"

"Not to worry, sir. For a certain fee, you will be able to unlock the desired service for a designated length of time. Extensions of the duration is possible but will cost more. However, I guarantee it will all be worth it."

She had a warm look in her eyes, but Jaune noticed the curl that appeared at the corner of her lips.

'An amateur con, I see.' He tried his luck. "That sounds wonderful. Just what do I need to do to be able to avail your services?"

"For the duration of ten minutes, you will need to buy one 'Pyrrha token'. Each token will cost you one personal favor for the exclusive use of one Pyrrha Nikos."

"So in short, I have to do you a favor in exchange for ten minutes of your time?"

She giggled to herself quietly before confirming with a nod. Jaune then made a thinking pose with his right thumb and index on his chin while his left held his right's elbow. The sound of the bubbling pot on top of the stove kept the small space from getting quiet. A counter-plan suddenly formed in his head.

"How about a compromise?"

"Eh?"

"In exchange for twenty minutes, you will receive a form of payment immediately before starting. The payment is a special surprise from yours truly. Does that sound like a deal?" He pulled out his bluff.

Caught off guard by his words, Pyrrha considered her options.

'Just what would he have up his sleeve to convince me to ease up on the deal?'

"I'm listening–"

She wasn't able to finish that. In a flash, the apron-clad knight was face-to-face with the Spartan. His buff arms sealed her escape on either side. With her back to the sink of the kitchenette, Pyrrha stared deep into his cobalt blue eyes as she felt something wrap around her waist and a pleasantly warm touch on her lips.

Trapped in his surprise kiss, she could only respond in kind with closed eyes. Butterflies formed in the pit of her stomach while he gently caressed her lips with his own. Suddenly, she started to feel hungry. A wonderful aroma filled her nostrils with a spicy flavor that made her taste buds react.

That's when Jaune struck. In a smooth movement, he added a bit of tongue action that made Pyrrha quiver on the spot. For a moment, she shivered as if jolted by a sudden electric current. The combined stimuli of smell, taste and touch brought the red-faced girl's train of thought to a grinding halt. All that followed next was her unconscious response to grasp the addicting pleasure she was feeling right now.

"Haaah...haaah...haaaaah"

After a complete thirty seconds, her knees started to buckle as she felt wonderful ecstasy.

"That...should be... against the rules... How did you..."

With a confident face, Jaune smiled at the girl whose visage had turned a shade as crimson as her hair.

"Never underestimate the ingenuity of a tactician and the taste buds of a chef. Your first mistake, partner, was rigging a one-sided scam while biting more than you could chew."

"I didn't get half of what you were saying... haaah," she tried to pull herself up to chest level. "But you..., Chef Jaune, are not leaving... until I have another taste of that Arc flavor... haaah..."

Her heavy breathing and vermillion complexion indicated that she was extremely turned on right now, earning the blonde a victory in this silly competition.

"What should I do... Heheh... this service is currently unavailable at the moment..." he gave her a teasing smile that she returned with a blushed one.

"AHEM!"

The two suddenly turned to face the smirking yet pink-faced Nora that sat on top of her bed with a book in hand and her headphones hanging from her neck.

"I'm sorry if I was bothering you two," she tried to avoid eye contact but the smirk kept growing, it seemed like she was trying to stifle a laugh. "But you do know that this is the TEAM'S BEDROOM and not your private vacation home, right?"

""NORA! HEADPHONES! NOW!""

Slow with the uptake, the red and blonde pair simultaneously reacted.

"There's no point if you flirt out IN THE OPEN!"

Sadly, to keep the Valkyrie from ever mentioning it again, they had to reveal Ren's hidden stash of emergency cakes.

The boy in question, however, was about to finish his errand just outside their dorm room.

"I'm sorry for the trouble again, Weiss. I'll be sure to pay you back for this in full."

"You don't have to be so formal about it, Ren. Just make sure Nora doesn't go all-out during the party. We wouldn't want to ruin our clumsy knight's celebration plan for his sister."

Ren nodded.

"It is rare for him to take the initiative. I'll do my best to make sure Nora behaves."

"That's reassuring. Hah. A party, huh?"

The snow-white haired girl sighed out. There was a slightly noticeable difference in her tone as she sighed. To the ever-perceptible Ren, it sounded like a high note.

"Are you, perhaps... looking forward to it as well?"

"Nuh... Ugh... What made you–!"

"You sounded excited." He said through her stammers.

"(Sigh) Was it that obvious?" She hid her face behind her palm.

Ren nodded.

She hid behind both palms.

"Don't tell Yang," was her reply.

Ren nodded once more and made a smile as the Schnee closed the door behind him.

He was lucky. Even if classes were cancelled for the first day of the term, no transport ship would be leaving for Vale until noon during the weekdays. Ren knew he made the right decision to ask Team RWBY before letting Nora hijack a ship for him. Honestly, he wished it would remain only as a joke but Nora was known to act serious at the wrong times. Looking inside the small carton he now held, he counted his borrowed assets.

'A dozen, including the eggs in the fridge, it's a total of twenty. This should be enough.'

Ren smiled. He now had enough for the party cake he volunteered for Jaune's celebration plan. Since his leader was in high spirits, he didn't want to disappoint by simply standing in the sidelines. With an approving nod to himself, he quietly turned to walk towards his dorm, opposite Team RWBY's. However,

THUD THUD THUD

The sound of someone approaching fast prompted his attention.

'One person. Sounds lighter than a male. A girl, perhaps? Quick pace. Is she in a rush?'

He began enumerating the girls he knew that could run this fast.

Nora was in the room right now, keeping the lovebirds company. Inside Team RWBY's room, Yang was fast asleep under a mess of clothes and sheets. It couldn't be Ruby as she almost made no sound with her speedy Semblance. Ruling out any rampaging by the two heavy-hitters and their only speeder, Ren approached the adjacent hallway to investigate the growing sound.

In that moment, two things were imprinted in his mind. The first being the painful impact of a body in motion slamming into another out of motion. The second was the nostalgic feeling of being crushed by a powerful tiger's pounce that could pin his delicate frame to the floor in a heartbeat.

At the sudden impact he immediately fixated his thoughts on the first priority, keeping the eggs safe. He threw them vertically, making sure not to push too hard lest they fly straight into the ceiling. As he fell on his back, he maneuvered his right arm to catch the falling carton. The small box landed with a soft thump on top of his ready palm, prompting the boy to sigh.

'Safe...'

"Ugghh..."

Groaning in a feminine tone, the figure that plowed through him struggled to get up while rubbing her black locks obscured her face.

"Are you alright?" Ren did the most sensible thing: check on the stranger. "Miss?"

"I'm fine... Ugh..." She winced as she rubbed her temples, lifting a blue, one-eyed gaze to her victim. "My apologies for running into...AHHHHHAAAAH?! IT'S YOU!"

"Wha... WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

The two simultaneously yelled out, one in shock, the other in surprise.

"REN! WHO IS IT?! WHERE IS– ?!"

A wild Nora holding a chair with one hand suddenly appeared!

"AAAAHHHHH!"

"AAAAHHHHH!"

Both girls used 'shout in surprise'!

"NORA!"

"SEIKA!"

It was super effective!

Both girls used 'hug'!

It was super effective!

"WHAT IS GOING ON OUT HERE?!"

A concerned Weiss suddenly appeared!

BAM

Wild Nora used 'chair' on a surprised Schnee's door!

"Grrrr... NORA!"

It was super effective... at pissing her off!

The situation was thus. A fuming Weiss stood before an apologizing Jaune and Ren. Acting as witness, Pyrrha stood by the dorm room's entrance opposite Weiss'.

"Honestly, Arc! One day, I only ask for one day, that you keep your teammates under control. Is that too much to ask?!"

"I'm really sorry, Weiss. I should've been more careful."

"I'm partly to blame. Please don't be too hard on him."

With a palm to her forehead, Weiss calmed herself before passing down judgement. Having known Jaune for nearly a year, she had come to learn and accept that the blonde boy before her always took his responsibilities seriously. Ren, being the stoic straight man of Team JNPR, had always supported his Team by watching their backs as well as over Nora, no matter the situation.

Her gaze moved to the two behind the boys. Similar to them, both girls had their heads lowered in remorse. The long-haired stranger bowed low and unmoving. On the other hand, Nora's shoulders were slightly trembling, possibly expecting a scolding for nearly clobbering her friend with a piece of furniture.

"(Sigh) Alright. I'll forgive you."

All four lifted their heads. Three of which had a surprised look on their faces.

"On one condition," added the Schnee. "I get the last slice of cake smothered with the extra icing and additional toppings."

They sighed in relief.

"I'm grateful," Ren lowered his head once more. "I promise to make the best cake you'll ever find in Vale."

"Thanks again, Weiss. I'll make sure to make it a fun party."

"You don't have to worry about me, Jaune. Just make sure you don't ruin this for your sister. After all, it is for her sake."

With that, the heiress smiled and quietly closed the door behind her, leaving the four in the middle of the hallway.

"Um..."

The stranger gave Jaune a tap on the shoulder.

"Are you, perhaps, Jeane Arc's brother?"

"Uh...Yes. Yes, I am." Jaune held out his hand. "I'm Jaune, Jeane's twin."

She took it in hers.

"I actually met her during Initiation. Akanohi Seika. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Nice to see my sister making friends wherever she goes. At least now, I don't have to worry too much."

"I see she has a brother who worries a lot for her."

"AHEM..."

Startling the two in the middle of an introduction, Ren had the most uncharacteristically angry look on his face.

"Excuse me for a second, Jaune. Could you please take Nora with you back to the room?"

"Uh... Okay?" Jaune, surprised at the usually quiet boy's expression, took a step back.

"Seika, we need to talk." He glanced at his teammates. "Alone, if you don't mind."

"But whhhhyyyyyy?!" Nora began to whine. "I wanna have a chat and catch up with her too–"

"NORA!" The Valkyrie was silenced. "Please follow Jaune and Pyrrha back in the room."

With a hand on her shoulder, Jaune guided the downcast Nora who was welcomed back by Pyrrha. Trying to cheer the orange-haired girl, she gave her a cookie. Jaune closed the door behind him, getting only a nod from his friend that probably meant he would explain later.

"Come with me."

Not a second later, Ren grabbed the red sleeve of Seika's right wrist and started pulling. Arriving at the corner, he turned left and headed for the stairs. He climbed up as quickly as he could, round another corner and climbing up another set of stairs.

'Why...'

A few students took notice and started staring. Who wouldn't be? A normally calm boy was wearing a panicked expression while dragging a beautiful unknown girl behind him, climbing up the stairs as if the floors below were about to be flooded.

'Why did you follow me...'

Soon, they reached the top. Opening the door to the rooftop, Ren released his captive and tried to catch his breath. The metal entryway slammed shut as he fell to his knees.

"Still low on stamina, I see."

Her black running shoes came into view. She now stood in front of him, seemingly looking down on his tired form as he gasped for breath.

"I guess this is what happens when you leave the temple without completing your training."

"How?!" He wheezed as he lowered his head in agony as his lungs began to feel like burning. "You were supposed to stay there forever! Dad promised–!"

"So it was your doing," Seika interrupted. "You forced father into making that stupid promise of keeping me there."

"You shouldn't be here! It's not safe for you anywhere outside the temple!"

"You were always a worrywart. I guess that hasn't changed."

'Worrywart or not, you were never supposed to leave!' A cough escaped his throat as he inhaled some dust from the floor. "This wasn't part of the deal. How did you get–?"

"You kept me safe in that temple for almost ten years. Then you suddenly disappear, not even a note or even a goodbye."

Ren's breathing started to ease up as he sat down, resting his back on the metal door of the only exit. Sweat slid down his face as a shadow blocked out the sun from his eyes.

"Even though you knew that I hated goodbyes... wasn't leaving like that too much?"

Her voice cracked as she spoke. Drops of water fell on his face. She was crying.

'Please, don't show me that expression.' Avoiding the girl's eyes, Ren lowered his gaze. More tears fell on top of his head.

"You always looked away when you felt guilty."

He didn't reply. Instead, his gaze fell even lower. Seika, however, came closer.

"Remember? You once told me that you couldn't stand looking at the face of someone you cared about when they were mad at you. You were always scared that they'd come to hate you."

Lowering herself down, she straddled his legs and raised a hand to level with his face. He braced himself for a slap to the cheek. It never came. Instead, the warm feeling of her palm on his skin forced him to look deep into a pair of crimson and sapphire gems.

"But I could never hate you for what you did. Even if you left me a million times over, I could never bring myself to hate you."

With her face just inches away from his, her words were as soft as a whisper. Strands of her hair tickled his ears as she brought him into a hug.

"I've missed you so much, Rei..."

With that, Seika felt no need to keep it in any longer. She stuck to the boy like glue, muffling her cries on his shoulder. Feeling the tears fall on his shirt, Ren slowly brought up his arms and wrapped them around the crying young lady before him. One of his hands went up to stroke her long black hair. The nostalgic feeling of the silk-like strands brought back memories, good and bad.

'...even if you are–...I promise to never leave you...'

Words that he spoke once before flew through his mind.

'And even if–...forces me to forget... I'll always remember you...'

Ren closed his eyes, trying to forget the promises he couldn't keep.

"I'm here for you, Sei..."

Under the warmth of the morning sun, two souls shared a reunion. One was overjoyed, the other cursed fate.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES: So what started out as something for fun I decided to do seriously. Seeing RoosterTeeth take RvB and RWBY to whole lot of changes and dramatic moments, I felt inspired to persevere and finish this thing as best as I could. To all the readers who've been waiting so long for an update, I express my deepest gratitude in your patience. To those reading for fun, thank you for finding interest in this work. Polishing details really grind my gears, especially during vacations. But seeing as it's fun anyway, why not keep going, am I right?**_

 _ **Have fun reading this while I finish up the next ones. Any comments or critiques is welcome. Hit me with your worst XD!**_


	11. Author Apology & Announcement

_**The "Fourth of Seven: Leader of Team AMBR" story is, as of today, halted.**_ **(T_T)**

 _ **I sincerely apologize to the readers that had patiently followed this story up till today. But after thinking a lot about the current plot, I came to the conclusion that my story is, simply put, weak.**_ **(_)**

 _ **Looking back, I noticed that a few details weren't to my liking. Some were just hard to work with while other parts threw a wrench in future plot twists. One of the many things was the personality of my current characters.**_ **( - _-)**

 _ **After careful consideration and a bit of advice, I've decided to rewrite the whole thing.**_ **(0_0)**

 **(O_o) But** _ **Wait! There's More.**_ **(o_O)**

 _ **When I say 'rewrite', it doesn't mean I plan to change EVERYTHING. I will only adjust a few thousand words of details and descriptions to make the story more refined and compatible for future additions. Everything you've read so far will be compressed maybe under 5 chapters total (including prologue (I'm gonna expand this one a bit.)).**_

 _ **You will still see the 4 main characters of the story. Their current backstories (or what you've probably guessed about them) will stay as is, albeit tweaked here and there. As for the supporting team, I think I'm gonna give them some time under the spotlight as well.**_

 **(^_^)**

 _ **Once again, I am truly sorry for making you all wait. This was kind of something I had to internally debate on until I nearly blew my top during Exams Week (a.k.a. Hell Week). X3**_

 ** _I promise to fix it all up before Christmas 2016 (You can't possibly expect ME to skip out on season 4 now do you?)._**

 **\\\\(_)/**

 ** _Thank you all for your patience. See you in 5 months! XD_**


	12. Redirect and Happy New Year

_**Hey, it's me, Reaves. I'm back! After all this time, I finally (mostly) finished cleaning up the mess that is Team AMBR!**_

 _ **Go ahead and read the freshly revised chapters in the new story on my profile. (I'm keeping this here so you guys can compare which is better. I still need to clean a lot of things between the two versions.)**_

 ** _Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to you all! X_ D**


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